Puru
Encyclopedia
The Purus were a tribe, or a confederation of tribes, mentioned many times in the Rigveda
, formed around 3180 BCE. RV 7.96.2 locates them at the banks of the Sarasvati River
. There were several factions of Purus, one being the Bharatas
. Purus rallied many other tribes against King Sudas
of the Bharata, but were defeated in the Battle of the Ten Kings
(RV 7.18, etc.,).
There were two main Vedic cultures in ancient India. The first was a northern kingdom centered on the Sarasvati-Drishadvati river region dominated by the Purus and the Ikshvakus that produced the existent Veda texts that we have. The second was a southern culture along the coast of the Arabian Sea and into the Vindhya Mountains, dominated by the Turvashas and Yadus and extending into groups yet further south. These northern and southern groups vied for supremacy and influenced each other in various ways as the Vedas and Puranas indicate. The northern or Bharata culture ultimately prevailed, making India the land of Bharata or Bharatavarsha and its main ancient literary record the Vedas, though militarily the Yadus remained strong throughout history.
. The dynasty of king Yadu
- Andhak, Vrasni and Bhoj, under the leadership of Shree Krishna, helped the Pandavas win the battle.
According to Puranic tradition, the war occurred 95 generations after Manu
Vaivasvata. The Puranas state that there are 1,050 years between Parikshit of the Kurus and the last Kuru king at the time of Mahapadma Nanda
.
.
Brahma
-> Atri
-> Chandra
-> Budha
(married to Manu
's daughter Ila
) -> Pururava -> Ayu -> Nahusha
-> Yayati
-> Puru and Yadu
Puru started the Puruvansh and Yadu started the Yaduvansh.
King Yayati's elder son Yadu had officially lost the title to govern by his father's command since he had refused to exchange his youth with his father. Thereby, he could not have carried on the same dynasty, called Somvanshi. Consequently, the generations of King Puru, Paurav or Puruvanshi were the only ones to be known as Somvanshi.
Yayati divided up his kingdom into five quarters (VP IV.10.1708). To Turvasha he gave the southeast (Bay of Bengal); to Druhya the west Gandhara
; to Yadu
the south (By Arabian sea); to Anu the north Punjab
; and to Puru the center (Sarasvati region) as the supreme king of Earth.
The Rig Veda notes an earlier period of Turvasha-Yadu predominance, which the Purus broke in order to become the dominant people in the region.
Last of the Puru (Pandava) dynasties
See also
Modern day lineage
One scholar Buddha Prakash, Professor of History and of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Director of the Institute of Indic Studies (1964); in his book Political and Social Movement in Ancient Punjab states:
Another scholar Kosambi, Damodar Dharmanand (1966) in his book Ancient India: A History of its Culture and Civilisation states:
D. D. Kosambi (2004) in his book An introduction to the study of India history writes:
Naval Viyogi (1996) in his book The founders of Indus valley civilization and their later history writes:
Rigveda
The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...
, formed around 3180 BCE. RV 7.96.2 locates them at the banks of the Sarasvati River
Sarasvati River
The Sarasvati River is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Hindu texts. The Nadistuti hymn in the Rigveda mentions the Sarasvati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata...
. There were several factions of Purus, one being the Bharatas
Bharatas
Bhāratas are an Aryan tribe mentioned in the Rigveda, especially in Mandala 3 attributed to the Bharata sage Vishvamitra. In the "river hymn" RV 3.33, the entire Bharata tribe is described as crossing a river. Bharatá is also used as a name of Agni Bhāratas are an Aryan tribe mentioned in the...
. Purus rallied many other tribes against King Sudas
Sudas
Sudās was a king in the Rig Veda. His name means "worshipping well", an s-stem, either from a root dās, or with the extra s added to avoid an archaic root noun in ā, Sudā-, which would easily be mistaken for a feminine name....
of the Bharata, but were defeated in the Battle of the Ten Kings
Battle of the Ten Kings
Battle of the Ten Kings is a battle alluded to in Mandala 7 of the Rigveda , the ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is a battle between Aryans...
(RV 7.18, etc.,).
Early History
India's famous name Bharat or Bharat-Varsh is actually named after a descendant of the Puru dynasty King Bharat (2860 BCE).There were two main Vedic cultures in ancient India. The first was a northern kingdom centered on the Sarasvati-Drishadvati river region dominated by the Purus and the Ikshvakus that produced the existent Veda texts that we have. The second was a southern culture along the coast of the Arabian Sea and into the Vindhya Mountains, dominated by the Turvashas and Yadus and extending into groups yet further south. These northern and southern groups vied for supremacy and influenced each other in various ways as the Vedas and Puranas indicate. The northern or Bharata culture ultimately prevailed, making India the land of Bharata or Bharatavarsha and its main ancient literary record the Vedas, though militarily the Yadus remained strong throughout history.
Kuru Kings
Kuru was born after 25 generations of Puru's dynasty, and after 15 generations of Kuru, Kauravas and Pandavas were born. These were the same renowned Kaurav and Pandavs who fought the epic battle of MahabharataMahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. The dynasty of king Yadu
Yadu
Yadu is one of the five Indo-Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rig Veda . The Mahabharata, the Harivamsha and the Puranas mention Yadu as the eldest son of king Yayati and his queen Devayani. The prince of King Yayati, Yadu was a self-respecting and a very established ruler...
- Andhak, Vrasni and Bhoj, under the leadership of Shree Krishna, helped the Pandavas win the battle.
According to Puranic tradition, the war occurred 95 generations after Manu
Manu (Hinduism)
In various Hindu traditions, Manu is a title accorded to the progenitor of mankind, and also the very first brahman king to rule this earth, who saved mankind from the universal flood. He was absolutely honest which was why he was initially known as "Satyavrata"...
Vaivasvata. The Puranas state that there are 1,050 years between Parikshit of the Kurus and the last Kuru king at the time of Mahapadma Nanda
Mahapadma Nanda
Mahapadma Nanda was the first king of the Nanda dynasty. He was the son of Mahanandin, a Kshatriya father from the Shishunaga dynasty, with a shudra wife. Sons of Mahanandin from his Kshatriya wives opposed the rise of Mahapadma Nanda, on which he eliminated all of them to claim the throne...
.
Porus
The King Porus of Alexander's time seem to reflect the old tribal name. Kosambi mentioned that the Puru name perhaps survived in the modern Punjabi surname Puri, while Naval Viyogi (1966) mentions in his work on the IVC that the modern Punjabi surname Puri may possibly originate with the Puru tribe. Buddha Prakash (1964) mentions that the Puru clan probably survived in Punjab under the name of PuriPuri (Family Name)
Puri , is a Khatri clan originating from the Ancient region Called "Sapta Sandhu" or more recently "Punjab" - Origin and Etymology :...
.
Rigvedic Puru tribe lineage
According to Puranic legend, below is the Chandravanshi lineage:Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
-> Atri
Atri
This article is about the sage named Attri. See also the gotra named Atri. For the Italian city, see Atri, AbruzzoIn Hinduism, Attri or Atri is a legendary bard and scholar and was one of 9 Prajapatis, and a son of Brahma, said to be ancestor of some Brahmin, Prajapatis, kshatriya and Vaishya...
-> Chandra
Chandra
In Hinduism, Chandra is a lunar deity and a Graha. Chandra is also identified with the Vedic Lunar deity Soma . The Soma name refers particularly to the juice of sap in the plants and thus makes the Moon the lord of plants and vegetation. He is described as young, beautiful, fair; two-armed and...
-> Budha
Budha
In Hindu mythology, Budha is the name for the planet Mercury, a son of Chandra with Tara or Rohini. He is also the god of merchandise and protector of Merchants....
(married to Manu
Manu (Hinduism)
In various Hindu traditions, Manu is a title accorded to the progenitor of mankind, and also the very first brahman king to rule this earth, who saved mankind from the universal flood. He was absolutely honest which was why he was initially known as "Satyavrata"...
's daughter Ila
Ila (Hinduism)
Ila is an androgyne in Hindu mythology, known for his/her sex changes. As a man, he is known as Ila or Sudyumna and as a woman, is called Ilā...
) -> Pururava -> Ayu -> Nahusha
Nahusha
Nahusha was a well-known king of the Aila dynasty. He was the son of Ayu, the eldest son of Pururavas and Prabha, the daughter of Svarbhanu. Nahusha reigned from Pratishthana. He married Viraja, the daughter of the Pitrs. They had six or seven sons, according to different Puranas. His eldest son...
-> Yayati
Yayati
Yayati was a Puranic king and the son of king Nahusha and one of ancestors of Pandavas. He was a great scholar of Vedas. He had five brothers, Yati, Samyati, Ayati, Viyati and Kriti. He had two wives, Devayani and Sharmishtha. Devayani was the daughter of Shukracharya, the priest of Asuras ....
-> Puru and Yadu
Yadu
Yadu is one of the five Indo-Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rig Veda . The Mahabharata, the Harivamsha and the Puranas mention Yadu as the eldest son of king Yayati and his queen Devayani. The prince of King Yayati, Yadu was a self-respecting and a very established ruler...
Puru started the Puruvansh and Yadu started the Yaduvansh.
King Yayati's elder son Yadu had officially lost the title to govern by his father's command since he had refused to exchange his youth with his father. Thereby, he could not have carried on the same dynasty, called Somvanshi. Consequently, the generations of King Puru, Paurav or Puruvanshi were the only ones to be known as Somvanshi.
Yayati divided up his kingdom into five quarters (VP IV.10.1708). To Turvasha he gave the southeast (Bay of Bengal); to Druhya the west Gandhara
Gandhara
Gandhāra , is the name of an ancient kingdom , located in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was located mainly in the vale of Peshawar, the Potohar plateau and on the Kabul River...
; to Yadu
Yadu
Yadu is one of the five Indo-Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rig Veda . The Mahabharata, the Harivamsha and the Puranas mention Yadu as the eldest son of king Yayati and his queen Devayani. The prince of King Yayati, Yadu was a self-respecting and a very established ruler...
the south (By Arabian sea); to Anu the north Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
; and to Puru the center (Sarasvati region) as the supreme king of Earth.
The Rig Veda notes an earlier period of Turvasha-Yadu predominance, which the Purus broke in order to become the dominant people in the region.
Last of the Puru (Pandava) dynasties
- Korayvya (c. 600-550 BC), during Gautam Buddha's time.
- Dhananjaya (c. 550-500 BC), said to be a descendant of Yudhishtra Pandava (a central character in the Mahabharata)
- Ratthapala (c. 500-450 BC), embraced Buddhism, the Kuru kingdom soon became a republic.
- Por (King Porus in Greek Chronicles) (until c. 320 BC), descendant of the Pandava dynasty, ruled Jhelum (Hydaspes) and Chenab in Pakistan, fought Alexander in the Battle of the Hydaspes River
- MalayketuMalayketuMalayaketu was the king of a kingdom in Punjab located between the Jhelum and the Chenab and dominions extending to Hyphasis. Its capital may have been near the current city of Lahore . He was the son of Porus, the king who confronted Alexander the Great in the Battle of the Hydaspes.-External...
(c. 320-316 BC), son of Rai Por (Porus), killed in the Battle of Gabiene
See also
Modern day lineage
One scholar Buddha Prakash, Professor of History and of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Director of the Institute of Indic Studies (1964); in his book Political and Social Movement in Ancient Punjab states:
Another scholar Kosambi, Damodar Dharmanand (1966) in his book Ancient India: A History of its Culture and Civilisation states:
D. D. Kosambi (2004) in his book An introduction to the study of India history writes:
Naval Viyogi (1996) in his book The founders of Indus valley civilization and their later history writes: