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148
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
JULY, 1914.
moreover Varahamihira is not alone in this. Bhattôtpala, in his commentary to the Brihalea hita, quotes Parisara as saying the same thing. 15
In the section dealing with those men who are technically known as 'swans,'+6 Varahamihira says that they are a long-lived race ruling over the Khaśas, Sürasonas (Eastern Punjab), Gândhara (Peshawar country), and the Gangetic Doab. This passage does not give much help.
Kalhaņa's famous chronicle of Kashmir, the Rajatarangini, written in the middle of the 12th century A.D., is full of references to the Khasas, who were a veritable thorn in the side of the Kashmir rulers. Sir Aurel Stein's translation of the work, with its excellent index, renders a detailed account of these allusions unnecessary. It will be sufficient to give Sir Aurel Stein's note to his translation of verse 317 of Book I. I have taken the liberty of altering the spelling of some of the words so as to agree with the system adopted for this survey -
"It can be shown from a careful examination of all the passages that their (the Khasas") seats were restricted to a comparatively limited region, which may be roughly described as comprising the valleys lying immediately to the south and west of the Pir Pantsål range, between the middle course of the Vitastá (or Jehlám) on the west, and Kashtavața (Kishtwar) on the east.
"In numerous passages of the Rajatarangini we find the rulers of Rajapurî, the modern Rajauri, described as “lords of the Khasas,' and their troops as Khaśas. Proceeding from Rajapuri to the east we have the valley of the Upper Ans River, now called Panjgabbar.
... as a habitation of Khaśas. Further to the east lies Banasála, the modern Bænahal. below the pass of the same name, where the pretender Bhikshachara sought refuge in the castle of the Khasa-Lord' Bhagika.... The passages viii, 177, 1,074 show that the whole of the valley leading from Bânahal to the Chandrabhågå (Chenab), which is now called Bichhlari' and which in the chronicle bears the name of Vishalaga, was inhabited by Khasas.
- Finally we have evidence of the latter's settlements in the Valley of Khasklaya.
Khasalaya is certainly the Valley of Khaisal (marked on the map as Kasher ') which leads from the Marbal Pass on the south-east corner of Kashmîr down to Kishtwir ....
“ Turning to the west of Rajapurî, we find a Khasa from the territory of Parņotsa or Průnts mentioned in the person of Tuuga, who rose from the position of a cowherd to be
Regarding the Kaupindas or Kuņindas, it may be mentioned that Cunningham (Rep. Arch. Surv. Inula, XIV, 125) identified them with the Kanets of the Simla Hill States, whose name he wrongly spells “Kunet." The change from. Kuņinda' to Kanet' is violent and improbable, though not altogether impossible. It would be simpler to connect the Kanets with Varahamihira's Kunatas, but here again there are difficulties, for the t in Kanet' is dental, not cerebral. Such changes are, however, not unoommon in the Pikacha' languages.
45 A similar but fuller list is also given in Vardhamihira's Samdsasahhita, in which the Khasas aro classed with Daradas, Abhiskras and Chinas.
46 LXVIII, 26.
