Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Gangaridai was the name of a kingdom in 300 BC in what is now the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. Etymology and ethnology The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia For geopolitical treatments see South Asia. It was described by the Greek traveller Megasthenes in his work Indica. Megasthenes (Μεγασθένης ca 350 BC - 290 BC was a Greek traveller and Geographer.

The Greek and Latin historians suggested that Alexander the Great withdrew from India anticipating the valiant counter attack of the mighty Gangaridai and Prasioi empires which were located in the Bengal region. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' However, not much is known about the origin of these empires.

Contents

Location of Gangaridai

Ptolemy (c. Claudius Ptolemaeus ( Greek: Klaúdios Ptolemaîos; after 83 &ndash ca 90 – c. Year 90 was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. 168), writes that the Gangaridai occupies the entire region about the five mouths of the Ganges and that the royal residence was in the city of Gange. The Ganges (ˈgænʤiːz also Ganga, Devanāgarī: hi गंगा in most Indian languages) is the major river in the Indian subcontinent The five mouths are: 1. The Kambyson 2. The Mega 3. the Kamberikhon 4. the Pseudostomon 5. The Antibole.

The Periplus refers Gangaridai to be located on the Bay of Bengal north to the port city of Dosarene in Kalinga. Periplus is the Latinization of an Ancient Greek word περίπλους ( periplous, contracted from periploos) literally "a sailing-around The Bay of Bengal is a bay that forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. And its main city with the same name as the river Ganges was on the bank of the river. Strabo, Pliny, Arrian et al. compiled a map of India as known to the early Greeks, based on ‘Indica’ of Megasthenes (4th century BC) where the Gangaridae kingdom has been shown in the lower Ganges and its tributaries. However all the Greek, Latin and Egyptian accounts about Gangaridai suggest that the country was located in the deltaic region of Southern Bengal.

Alexander and Porus by Charles Le Brun, 1673
Alexander and Porus by Charles Le Brun, 1673

Greek/Roman/Egyptian accounts on Gangaridai

During Alexander's invasion

"When he (Alexander) moved forward with his forces certain men came to inform him that Porus, the king of the country, who was the nephew of that Porus whom he had defeated, had left his kingdom and fled to the nation of Gandaridai. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' Charles Le Brun (24 February 1619 - 22 February 1690 was a French painter and art theorist, one of the dominant artists in 17th century France. Conflict alliance and comradeship with Alexander Unlike his neighbour Ambhi (in Greek Omphis, King Porus chose to fight Alexander the Great in . . He had obtained from Phegeus a description of the country beyond the Indus: First came a desert which it would take twelve days to traverse; beyond this was the river called the Ganges which had a width of thirty two stadia, and a greater depth than any other Indian river; beyond this again were situated the dominions of the nation of the Prasioi and the Gandaridai, whose king, Xandrammes, had an army of 20,000 horse 200,000 infantry, 2,000 chariots and 4,000 elephants trained and equipped for war". Phegeus was a Greek mythological king who offered succor and his daughter Arsinoe (named Alphesiboea in some versions to Alcmaeon, who was Stadia can refer to The plural of Stadium. Stadia rod, a surveyors instrument . . . "Now this (Ganges) river, which is 30 stadia broad, flows from north to south, and empties its water into the ocean forming the eastern boundary of the Gandaridai, a nation which possesses the greatest number of elephants and the largest in size. "----Diodorus Siculus (c. 90 BC– c. Year 90 BC was a year of the pre-Julian calendar. Events By place Rome Consuls Lucius Julius Caesar and 30 BC). Year 30 BC was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Quoted from The Classical Accounts of India, Dr R. C. Majumder, p. 170-72/234.

"Among the southern countries the first under the Kaukasos is India, a kingdom remarkable for its vast extent and the largeness of its population, for it is inhabited by very many nations, among which the greatest of all is that of the Gandaridae, against whom Alexander did not undertake an expedition, being deterred by the multitude of their elephants. This region is separated from farther India by the greatest river in those parts (for it has a breadth of thirty stadia), but it adjoins the rest of India which Alexander had conquered, and which was well watered by rivers and highly renowned for its prosperous and happy condition. "---Diodorus Siculus (1st century AD). Quoted from Ancient India as Described in Classical Literature, John W. McCrindle, p. 201.

"Next came the Ganges, the largest river in all India, the farther bank of which was inhabited by two nations, the Gangaridae and the Prasii, whose king Agrammes kept in field for guarding the approaches to his country 20,000 cavalry and 200,000 infantry, besides 2,000 four-horsed chariots, and, what was the most formidable of all, a troop of elephants which he said ran up to the number of 3,000. "---Quintus Curtius Rufus (wrote between 60-70 AD). Quintus Curtius Rufus was a Roman historian who is generally thought to have written his works during the reign of Emperor Claudius (41-54 AD Year 60 was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Year 70 was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Quoted from The Classical Accounts of India, p. 103-128.

"The Battle with Porus depressed the spirits of the Macedonians, and made them very unwilling to advance farther into India. Conflict alliance and comradeship with Alexander Unlike his neighbour Ambhi (in Greek Omphis, King Porus chose to fight Alexander the Great in . . This river (the Ganges), they heard, had a breadth of two and thirty stadia, and a depth of 1000 fathoms, while its farther banks were covered all over with armed men, horses and elephants. For the kings of the Gandaritai and the Prasiai were reported to be waiting for him (Alexander) with an army of 80,000 horse, 200,000 foot, 8,000 war-chariots, and 6,000 fighting elephants. "---Plutarch (42-120 AD). Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus ( Greek: Μέστριος Πλούταρχος c Quoted from The Classical Accounts of India, p. 198.

"Now this river, which at its source is 30 stadia broad, flows from north to south, and empties its waters into the ocean forming the eastern boundary of the Gangaridai, a nation which possesses a vast force of the largest-sized elephants. Owing to this, their country has never been conquered by any foreign king: for all other nations dread the overwhelming number and strength of these animals. [Thus Alexander the Macedonian, after conquering all Asia, did not make war upon the Gangaridai, as he did on all others; for when he had arrived with all his troops at the river Ganges, and had subdued all the other Indians, he abandoned as hopeless an invasion of the Gangaridai when he learned that they possessed four thousand elephants well trained and equipped for war. ]"---Megasthenes (c. 350 BC-290 BC). Events By place Persian Empire Sidon, the centre of the revolt against Persia, seeks help from its sister city of Tyre Events By place Roman Republic Roman general and Consul, Manius Curius Dentatus, gains a decisive victory over the Quoted from the Epitome of Megasthenes, Indika. Megasthenes (Μεγασθένης ca 350 BC - 290 BC was a Greek traveller and Geographer. (Diod. II. 35-42. ), Ancient India as Described by Megasthenes and Arrian. Translated and edited by J. W. McCrindle.

During the reign of Chandragupta Maurya

"In the final part of its Ganges course, which is through the country of the Gangarides. . . . But Prasii surpass in power and glory every other people, not only in this quarter, but one may say in all India, their capital Palibothra (Pataliputra), a very large and wealthy city, after which some call the people itself the Palibothri, (He talks about Prasii during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya). Paṭnā ( Hindi: पटना is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited . . In the parts which lie southward from the Ganges the inhabitants, already swarthy, are deeply coloured by the sun, though not scorched black like the Ethiopians. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page "---Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD). Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author This article is about the year AD 23 For other uses see 23 (number, 23 (numerology, or 23 (disambiguation. Year 79 was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Quoted from The Classical Accounts of India, Dr. R. C. Majumdar, p. 341-343.

"The least breadth of the Ganges is eight miles, and its greatest twenty. Its depth where it is shallowest is fully a hundred feet. The people who live in the furthest-off part are the Gangarides, whose king possesses 1,000 horse, 700 elephants, and 60,000 foot in apparatus of war. "---Megasthenes (INDICA)Quoted from FRAGM. LVI. B. Solin. 52. 6- 17. Catalogue of Indian Races, Ancient India as Described by Megasthenes and Arrian. Translated and edited by J. W. McCrindle.

Later period

". . . Sailing with the ocean to the right and the shore remaining beyond to the left, Ganges comes into view, and near it the very last land toward the east, Chryse. There is a river near it called the Ganges, and it rises and falls in the same way as the Nile. The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River On its bank is a market-town which has the same name as the river, Ganges. Through this place are brought malabathrum and Gangetic spikenard and pearls, and muslin of the finest sorts, which are called Gangetic. It is said that there are gold-mines near these places. "---The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st century AD). The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea ( Periplus Maris Erythraei) is a Greek Periplus, describing navigation and trading opportunities Quoted from The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, Wilfred H. Schoff, p. 47-8.

"All the country about the mouths of the Ganges is occupied by the Gangaridai with this city : - Gange, the royal residence. . . 146°0′-, 19°15′, . "---Ptolemy (2nd century AD). Quoted from Ancient India as Described by Ptolemy, John W. McCrindle, p. 172.

"Next come the wild tribes of the Peukalensians, beyond whom lie the seats of the Gangaridae, worshippers of Bacchus, . In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman . . the land here projects into the deep whirling ocean in steep precipices, over which the fowls of heaven in swift flight can hardly wing their way. "---Dionysius Periegetes (3rd century AD). Dionysius Periegetes (literally Dionysius of The Description was the author of a description of the habitable world in Greek Hexameter verse written in a terse and Quoted from The Classical Accounts of Ancient India, p. 423.

Gangaridai in Greek mythology

Curiously enough we find Gangaridai in Greek myth too. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance In Apollonius of Rhodes' "Argonautika", Datis, a chieftain, leader of the Gangaridae was in the army of Perses III fought against Aeetes during the Colchian civil war. The Argonautica ( Greek:) is a Greek Epic poem written by Apollonius Rhodius in the 3rd century BCE. For other uses of the word Dati, see the disambiguation page Datis or Datus was a Median admiral who served the Persian Empire In Greek mythology, Aeëtes ( Greek: Αἰήτης was a son of the king-god Helios and the Nymph Perseis (a daughter of Oceanus Colchis was situated in modern day Georgia, on the east of the Black sea. In ancient Geography, Colchis or Kolchis ( Georgian and Laz: კოლხეთი k'olxeti; Greek:, Kolchís Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between Aeetes was the famous king of Colchia against whom Jason and the Argonauts undertook their expedition in search of the "Golden Fleece". Jason ( Greek: Ἰάσων, Etruscan: Easun, Laz: Yason) was a late ancient Greek mythological For other uses of this term see Argonaut. In Greek mythology, the Argonauts ( Ancient Greek:) were a band of heroes In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece (Χρυσόμαλλον Δέρας is the fleece of the winged ram Chrysomallos (Χρυσόμαλλος Perses III was the brother of Aeetes and king of the Taurian tribe. Virgil also speaks of the valour of the Gangaridae in his Georgics. Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or The Georgics, published in 29 BCE, is the second major work by the Latin poet Virgil.

"On the doors will i represent in gold and ivory the battle of the Gangaridae and the arms of our victorious Quirinius. Publius Sulpicius Quirinius ( Greek Κυρήνιος - Kyrenios or Cyrenius, c "---Virgil, "Georgics" (III, 27)

It is possible that the Gangaridai people did not only trade with the Greeks/Romans but also fought for them as mercenaries.

Interpretations

Gangaridai in Ptolemy's Map
Gangaridai in Ptolemy's Map

See also

Sources

External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic