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GEOGRAPHICAL PLACES, PEOPLES AND TRIBES 547 Yaksas and Vaišas respectively. At 3.154 it mentions that the Vijayārdha region (i. e. the Vindhyas) was occupied by the Kinnaras, Kimpurişas and the Gandharvás.
A study of Indian literature reveals that these people are mentioned in various works. Their identity as some tribes or clans is not clear. Researches carried out by various scholars have proved that they were people of very ancient times. With the passage of time they went into complete oblivion and later on they were relegated to the position of either hobgoblins or demigods. When Vimalasūri defines them on a new basis, i. e. the people belonging to particular places coming to be known after the names of those particular places—it seems to be an attempt to assign some suitable historical place to the peoples forgotten in course of time. In the following lines an attempt has time made to identify them.
Asiņas : Their identity is obscure. However Pāṇini (5.3.117) refers to the Aśanis as a war-like tribe of the North-West Frontier (IP, p. 438).
Asuras :-They can be identified with the Assyrian people of ancient times whose country formed part of the Persian Empire in the fifth century B. C. and that country is mentioned in the old Persian Behistun inscription as Athura, and in Susain as Assura (IP, p. 447). In the Purāņas they are in juxta position with the Suras (gods), their allies and rivals.
Kinnaras :-On the basis of pieces of evidence from the Brahmanical and the Buddhist literature the modern Kanaur in the upper valley of the Sutlez where the head waters of Candrabhaga approach near it, is identified with the country of the Kinnaras (See IK, p. 62).
Gandharvas :-On the evidences from the Raghuvam a the Gandharvas or Gandhāras are said to be the people of that country whose capitals were Takşaśīla and Puşkalāvati (IK, p. 67).
Yakşas :- In the VR we find them settled in the south and were chased off from there by the Rakşasas. Prof. C.V. Vaidya regards them as the aboriginal people of the south, who were later on made to flee to the north (RR. P. 99). But it is also told in the VR that when the Rākşasas vacated Larkā, Brahmā appointed Vaiśravapa, as the Lokapala of Lanká (7,3). Then we find them mentioned in the ancient literature also as the inhabitants of the north, therefore it is possible that they went from north to south.
Vaisas :-Not identified.
Further the PCV reveals that the Vidyadharas, Rākşasas and the Vānaras were very ancient people and we find that they have been
