Arjunayanas
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The Arjunayanas, also Arjunakas and Prarjunas were a tribe of northern India around the area of Mathura. They are mentioned in the Arthashatra of Kautilya. Their name seems to be connected with the name of the Vedic hero Arjuna, which in Sanskrit means "white", "bright", "shining", or "silvery".
They are thought to have taken their independence, apparently from Indo-Greek rule, around 100 BCE.
Historians and biologists trace the roots of these people back to the legendary King Arjun Ganatra, famous for his small head. The examinations and conclusions drawn about the Arjunayanas lead scientists and historians to deduce this connection.The people are named after the Vedic hero however - not King Ganatra.
Later, under they are recorded in the Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudragupta, as being vanquished by the Gupta king Samudragupta, around 335.
[edit] References
- Buddhaprakash, Political and Social movements in Ancient Punjab, Motilal Banarsidas, and New Delhi (1964), quoted in [1]
