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{{Short description|Ancient country/region}}
{{citations needed|date=December 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2025}}
{{Infobox archaeological culture
| name = Bahlikas
| map = Mahajanapadas_(c._500_BCE).png
| mapcaption = Location of the Bahlikas in [[Bactria]]
| altnames = Bahli, Balhika, Vahlika, Valhika, Bahlava, Bahlam, Bahlim, Bahlayana, Bahluva
| race = [[Iranian peoples|Eastern Iranian]]
| religion = Proto-Iranian and early [[Zoroastrianism]]
| language = Proto-Iranian later [[Avestan]] and [[Bactrian language|Bactrian]]
| region = [[Bactria]]
| period = Iron Age
| dates = c. 1500 – 400 BCE
| typesite = Balkh
| majorsites = Balkh
| followedby = [[Greco-Bactrian Kingdom]]
| collapse = Conquered by Greeks (4th century BCE)
| definedby = [[Puranas]], [[Atharvaveda]], [[Mahabharata]]
}}
{{South Asia in 500 BCE|South Asia circa 500 BCE, with the location of the Bahlikas in [[Bactria]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schwartzberg |first1=Joseph E. |title=A Historical Atlas of South Asia |date=1978 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |page=145, map XIV.1 (d) |isbn=0226742210 |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=182 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |access-date=16 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224162023/https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=182 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Content mirrored from</ref>}}

The '''Bahlikas''' ({{langx|sa|बाह्लिक}}; ''Bāhlika'') were the inhabitants of a location called Bahlika ({{langx|sa|बह्लिक}}, located in [[Bactria]]), mentioned in the [[Atharvaveda]], [[Mahabharata]], [[Ramayana]], Puranas, Vartikka of [[Katyayana]], Brhatsamhita, Amarkosha, and other ancient inscriptions. Other variations of Bahlika include Bahli, Balhika, Vahlika, Valhika, Bahlava, Bahlam/Bahlim, Bahlayana, and Bahluva.

==Locations==
[[File:EpicIndia.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Bahlika Kingdom alongside other locations of kingdoms and republics mentioned in the Indian epics or [[Bharata Khanda]].]]

===In Bahlika===
According to the ''Bhuvanakosha'' section of the [[Purana]]s, Bahlika was a [[Janapada]] located in the ''Udichya'' ([[Uttarapatha]]) division.<ref>Vayu I.45.115</ref><ref>Vamana 13.37</ref><ref>Garuda 55.16</ref><ref>Brahamanda, 27.24-52v etc.</ref>

Some [[hymn]]s of the Atharvaveda invoke fever to go to the [[Gandhara|Gandharis]], Mahavrsas (a tribe of Punjab), Mujavants, and, further off, to the Bahlikas. Mujavant is the name of a hill (and the people) located in the [[Hindukush]]/[[Pamir Mountains|Pamir]].<ref name="Witzel">Early Eastern Iran and the Atharvaveda, Persica-9, 1980, p. 87, Dr [[Michael Witzel]]</ref>

''Atharvaveda-Parisista'' juxtaposes the Vedic Bahlikas with the [[Kambojas]] (i.e., ''Kamboja-Bahlika'').<ref>AV-Par, 57.2.5</ref><ref name="Witzel_106">Early East Iran and the Atharvaveda, Persica-9, 1980, p. 106, Dr Michael Witzel</ref>

Besides the Atharvaveda Parisista, several other ancient texts also associate the Bahlikas with the Kambojas:

:''Shakah.Kamboja.Bahlika.Yavanah.Paradastatha.''<ref>MBH 7/98/13</ref>

:''Kritavarma tu sahitah KambojaivarBahlikaih.''<ref>MBH 6/75/17</ref><ref>MBH 2/27/23-23 etc.</ref>

:''VanayujanParvatiyanKamboj.Aratta.Bahlikan.''<ref>Mahabharata 7.36.36</ref>

:''Kamboja.vishhaye jatair Bahlikaishcha hayottamaih.''<ref name="Valmiki Ramayana I.6.22">Valmiki Ramayana I.6.22</ref>

The [[Kashmir]] recension of the ancient Ramayana contains the following reading:

:''Aratta.Kapisham.Balhim''...<ref>''Ramayana, 4/44/23''</ref>

[[Sanskrit]] Acharya [[Kshmendra]] of Kashmir rendered the above text into his Ramayana Manjri as follows:

''Aratta.Bahlika.Kamboja.''<ref>''Ramayana Manjri, 4/252''</ref>

Besides Kambojas, the Atharvaveda-Parisista also associates the Vedic Bahlikas with the [[Sakas]], [[Yavana]]s, and [[Tusharas]] (''Saka-Yavana-Tukhara-Vahlikaishcha'').<ref name="Witzel_106"/><ref>Atharvaveda Pari. 51.33</ref>

The fact that Puranic evidence locates the Bahlikas in Uttarapatha and further associates the Bahlikas with the Kambojas, Tusharas, Sakas, and [[Yavanas]] in the Atharvaveda Parisista and other ancient sources suggests that the Bahlikas were located as close neighbors to these groups. Since the Kambojas were located in [[Badakshan]] and Pamirs, the Tusharas to the north of Pamirs, and the Sakas on the river [[Jaxartes]] and beyond, the Bahlikas or Bahlams, as neighbors to these people, should be placed in [[Bactria]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

The [[Brahmanda Purana]] attests that the river Chaksu ([[Oxus]] or [[Amu Darya]]) flowed through the land of Bahlavas (Bahlikas).

The [[Iron pillar of Delhi]] inscription by King [[Chandragupta II]] also mentions the Bahlikas as living on the west side of the [[Indus River]] ([[Sindhu]]). After crossing the seven mouths of the Indus, King Chandragupta is stated to have defeated the Bahlikas.<ref>Indian Historical Quarterly, XXVI, 118n</ref>

These references attest that the Bahlikas were originally located beyond the seven mouths of the Indus River in Bactria, where the land was watered by the Oxus River. However, later, a section of these people moved from [[Balkh]] to the [[Punjab region|Punjab]], while others appear to have moved to southwestern India as neighbors to the [[Saurashtra language|Saurashtras]] and [[Abhira tribe|Abhiras]] of [[Sovira|Sauviras]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

===In the plains of Punjab===
Salya, the king of Madra mentioned in the Mahabharata, has been called a ''Bahlika Pungava'' (i.e., foremost among the Bahlikas).<ref>MBH I. 67.6</ref><ref>MBH I.112.3</ref>

[[Princess]] Madri from the Madra Royal Family is also referred to as Bahliki (i.e., a princess of the Bahlika [[clan]]).<ref>MBH I. 124. 21</ref>

In the digvijay expedition of [[Pandava]] [[Arjuna]], there is a reference to a group called the Bahlikas, whom Arjuna had to fight.<ref>Tatah paramavikranto'''Bahlika'''nkurunandanah..MBH 2.27.22</ref> They are stated to have been located on the southern side of Kashmir as neighbors to the Ursa and Sinhapura kingdoms.<ref>Mahabharata, II.27.20-23</ref>

A passage in the Ramayana attests that on the way from [[Ayodhya (Ramayana)|Ayodhya]] to [[Kekaya]], one had to pass through the country of Bahlikas, located somewhere in Punjab. This suggests that ancient Bahlikas had moved to and planted a settlement in Punjab.<ref>Ramayana II.54.18-19</ref><ref>Geographical Data in Early Puranas, p. 120, Dr. M. R. Singh</ref> This is also verified in the epic Mahabharata.

This evidence suggests that there was another Bahlika country besides the one in Bactria.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Dr. P. E. Pargiter points out that there was another Bahlika settlement in the plains of Punjab, alongside or south of Madradesa.<ref name="Pargiter_50">The Puranas Text of the Dynastics of the Kali Age, p. 50, Dr. P. E. Pargiter</ref><ref name="singh127">Geographical Data in Early Puranas, p. 127, Dr. M. R. Singh</ref>

===In Saurashtra===
A third settlement of the Bahlikas is attested in western India as neighbors to the Saurashtras. The Ramayana refers to (''Saurashtrans.bahlikan.chandrachitranstathaivacha''). A similar expression is found in the [[Padma Purana]]: (''Surashtransa.bahlika.ssudrabhirastathaivacha''). These ancient references indicate that the Bahlikas lived as neighbors to the Saurashtras and the [[Abhira kingdom|Abhiras]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} According to the [[Puranas]], a branch of these people ruled in the [[Vindhya]]s.<ref name="Pargiter_50"/><ref name="singh127" />

The ''Baraca'' of the [[Periplus]] is identified with the Bahlika of Sanskrit texts.<ref>Periplus, p. 74</ref><ref>Ethnic Settlements in Ancient India, p. 174.</ref> The Puranas attest that a branch of the Bahlikas ruled near the [[Vindhyas]].<ref name="Pargiter_50"/>

==Bahlika kings in legend==
According to the [[Puranic]] traditions, ''Dhrshta'' was one of the nine sons of [[Manu (Hinduism)|Manu]]. From him came a number of clans called ''Dharshtakas,'' who were considered [[Kshatriya]]s. According to the [[Shiva Purana]], the Dharshtaka princes became rulers of Bahlika.

The ''Satapatha Brahmana'' mentions a king named ''Bahlika Pratipeya,'' whom it calls Kauravya (=[[Kaurava]]).<ref>Satapatha Brahamana XII 9.3.3</ref> It has been pointed out that this Kaurava king is identical with Bahlika Pratipeya of the Mahabharata.<ref>MBH V, 23.9</ref><ref>MBH 149.27</ref><ref>Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1910, p. 52</ref>

According to the Mahabharata, the king of Bahlika was present at ''Syamantapanchaka'' in [[Kurukshetra]] on the occasion of a solar eclipse. The name 'Bahlika Desa' originates from the middle son of King Pratipa of Hastinapura, [[Bahlika (Mahabharata)|Vahlika]], who abandoned his paternal kingdom to live with his maternal uncle in Bahlika, eventually inheriting the kingdom. Thus, being older than King [[Shantanu]], Bahlika was the paternal uncle of Bhishma and predated him.

The people of Balhika presented to [[Yudhishthira]] as a [[tribute]] ten thousand asses (donkeys), numerous [[blanket]]s of woolen texture, numerous skins of the Ranku deer, clothes made from jute and woven with threads spun by insects, and thousands of other clothes possessing the color of the [[lotus (plant)|lotus]], soft [[sheep]]-skins, sharp and long swords and scimitars, hatchets, fine-edged battle-axes, perfumes, and [[Gemstone|gem]]s of various kinds (2.50).

Darada, the king of Bahlika, was the incarnation of Asura Surya. At the time of his birth, the earth was cleaved because of his weight (1.67), (2.43).

The King of Bahlika presented to [[Yudhishtra]] a golden [[chariot]] yoked with four white Kamboja studs at the time of the Rajsuya ceremony (2.53.5).

[[Karna]] fought with and vanquished the Bahlikas, along with the Kambojas of Rajpura, the Amvashthas, the Videhas, the Gandharvas, the fierce [[Kiratas]] of the fastness of Himavat, the Utpalas, the Mekalas, the Paundras, the [[Kalinga (historical region)|Kalingas]], the [[Andhras]], the Nishadas, and the Trigartas (7.4.5-6).

King Bahlika participated in the [[Kurukshetra War]]. The Mahabharata calls him a mighty (''mahabali'') king.<ref>''Bahlikan cha mahabalam : 5.155.33''.</ref> Along with his son Somadatta and grandson Bhurisravas, King Bahlika participated in the Mahabharata war with one Akshauhini (division) army of Bahlika soldiers and sided with the Kauravas against the Pandavas. Bahlika and his grandson Bhurisravas were among the eleven distinguished Generals or Senapatis of the Kaurava army appointed by [[Duryodhana]].<ref>Mahabharata 5.155.30-33</ref>

== Remote Kurus-Bahlikas-Kambojas-Madras connection ==
The Ramayana seems to localize the [[Uttarakurus]] in Bahlika country.<ref>Ethnic Settlements in Ancient India, p. 110</ref> According to the text, Ila, son of Prajapati Karddama, king of Bahli (Bahlika) country, gave up Bahli in favor of his son Sasabindu and founded the city of Pratisthana in Madhyadesa. The princes of the Aila [[dynasty]] (which is also the dynasty of the Kurus) were called Karddameya.<ref>Ramayana, (Lahore Edition), Uttarakanda, 89-3-2, pp. 299-300, 309</ref><ref>cf: Ethnic Settlements in Ancient India, p. 110</ref> The Karddameyas obtained their names from the river Kardama in [[Persia]] and therefore, their homeland is identified with Bahlika or Bactria.<ref>Studies in Indian Antiquaries, p. 234</ref><ref>Geographical Data in Early Puranas, 1972, p. 123-24, Dr. M. R. Singh</ref> This suggests that Bahlika or Bactria was the original home of the [[Kuru (kingdom)|Kuru]] clans.

''[[Vātsyāyana|Vatsyayana]]'' in his [[Kamasutra]] records a peculiar custom prevalent among the Bahlikas, where several young men marry a single woman in Bahlika country and in Strirajya.<ref>Kamasutra of Vatsyayana, p. 385</ref> It is said in the Mahabharata that the Pandava brothers (i.e., [[Kuru (kingdom)|Kurus]]) were married to one woman, [[Draupadi]]. This suggests that the Kurus were originally from Bahlika, which was identified with [[Uttarakuru]] (Dr. M. R. Singh). Since Uttarakuru of the ''Aitareya Brahmana'' is said to lie beyond [[Himalaya]], Bahlika or Bactria is also beyond the Hindukush (i.e., Himalayan range).

Besides the Kurus, the [[Madra]] ({{IAST3|Mādra}}; [[Help:IPA/Sanskrit|IPA/Sanskrit]]: {{IPA|sa|maːdɽɐ|}}) were also originally from around Bahlika, as suggested by the ''Vamsa Brahmana''<ref>Vamsa Brahmana 1.18-19.</ref> of the [[Sama Veda]]. This text refers to one ''Madragara Shaungayani'' as a teacher of [[Aupamanyava Kamboja]]. Dr. Zimmer and the authors of the Vedic Index postulate a possible connection between the [[Iran]]ian [[Uttaramadras]] and the Kambojas. Both these groups were close neighbors in the northwestern part of ancient India.<ref>Vedic Index, I, pp. 84-85, 138</ref><ref name="Aggarwal_50">India as Known to Panini, 1953, p. 50, Dr. Aggarwal</ref><ref>Some Kshatriya Tribes, p. 232, Dr. B. C. Law</ref><ref name="Singh_65_164">Geographical Data in Early Puranas, pp. 65, 164, Dr. M. R. Singh.</ref> According to Jean Przylusky, Bahlika (Balkh) was an Iranian settlement of the Madras, known as Bahlika-Uttaramadras.<ref name="Aggarwal_50"/><ref name="Singh_65_164"/><ref>The Udumbras, Journal Asiatique, 1926, p. 11, Jean Przylusky, showing that Bahlika (Balkh) was an Iranian settlement of the Madras who were known as Bahlika-Uttaramadras</ref>

In the ''Aitareya Brahmana,'' the Uttarakurus and Uttaramadras are stated to live beyond the Himalayas (''paren himvantam'').<ref>Aitareya Brahmana, VIII/14.</ref>

This suggests that in remote antiquity (the Vedic age), the (Iranian settlement of) the Madras was located in parts of Bahlika (Bactria)—the western parts of the Oxus country. These Madras were, in fact, the Uttaramadras of the ''Aitareya Brahmana'' (VIII/14).<ref>In accordance with the views of Dr. J. Przyluski, [[A. B. Keith]], [[A. A. Macdonell]], Dr. V. S. Aggarwal, Dr. M.R. Singh, Dr. J. L. Kamboj</ref> However, in the 4th century BC, this Bahlika/Bactria came under Yavana/[[Greeks|Greek]] political control, and the land began to be referenced as ''Bahlika-Yavana'' in some ancient Sanskrit texts.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Thus, the foregoing discussion suggests that the Uttarakurus, Uttaramadras, and Kambojas were all located beyond the Himalaya/Hindukush ranges. The Uttarakurus were likely in the northern parts of Bahlika, the Uttaramadras in the southern parts, and the Kambojas (=Parama Kambojas) to the east of Bahlika, in the [[Transoxiana]] region. The ancient Bahlika appears to have spanned a large expanse of territory. The commentator of the Harsha-Carita of Bana Bhatta also defines the Kambojas as ''Kambojah-Bahlika-Desajah,'' meaning the Kambojas originated in or belonged to Bahlika. Thus, it seems likely that in remote antiquity, the ancestors of the Uttarakurus, Uttaramadras, and [[Parama Kambojas]] were one people or closely allied and lived in or around Bahlika (Bactria).{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

==Other references==
''Amarakosha'' makes references to the [[Saffron]] of Bahlika and Kashmira countries.<ref>Amarkosha, p. 159, Amarsimha.</ref> Similar references to Bahlika saffron are also found in the 4th-century AD [[Raghuvamsa]] play by poet [[Kalidasa]]. ''Raghuvamsa'' states that saffron adhered to Raghu's horses, which they shed off by rolling on the banks of the Oxus before Raghu undertook to attack the forces of the [[Huna Kingdom|Hunas]] and the Kambojas located on either side of the Oxus.<ref>Raghuvamsa IV.67-70.</ref>

[[Brihat Samhita]] also references the Bahlikas and mentions them alongside [[Cinas]], Gandharas, Sulikas, [[Paradas|Paratas]], Vaisyas, etc.

''Kavyamimamsa'' by Rajshekhar (10th century AD) lists the Bahlikas with the Sakas, Tusharas, Vokanas, Hunas, Kambojas, Pahlavas, Tangana, Turukshas, etc., and states that they were tribes located in the Uttarapatha division.<ref>Kavyamimamsa, Ch. 17, Rajshekhar.</ref>

The [[Buddhist]] play ''Mudrarakshas'' by Visakhadutta, as well as the [[Jain]] works ''Parishishtaparvan,'' refers to [[Chandragupta Maurya|Chandragupta]]'s alliance with a [[Himalayas|Himalayan]] king named [[Parvatka]]. This alliance provided Chandragupta with a composite army made up of the Yavanas, Kambojas, Sakas, Kiratas, Parasikas, and Bahlikas, as stated in ''Mudrarakshas''.<ref>History and Culture of Indian People, Age of Imperial Kanauj, p. 57, Dr. Pusalkar and Dr. Majumdar</ref><ref>Ancient India, 1956, pp. 141-142, Dr. R. K. Mukerjee</ref><ref>Political and Social Movements in Ancient Panjab, 1964, p. 202, Dr. Buddha Parkash</ref><ref>The Culture and Art of India, p. 1959, p. 91</ref><ref>Comprehensive History of Ancient India, Vol II, 1957, p. 4, Dr. K. A. N. Sastri</ref>

The ''Sammoha Tantra'' speaks of the [[tantra|Tantric]] culture of foreign countries like Bahlika, Kirata, Bhota, Cina, Mahacina, [[Pahlavas|Parasika]], Airaka (Iraq), Kamboja, [[Hunas|Huna]], Yavana, Gandhara, and [[Nepal]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

==As mlechcha kings in ''Kali Yuga''==
The Bahlikas have been equated to [[Mlechcha]]s in later Sanskrit literature. There is a distinct prophetic statement in the Mahabharata that the mlechcha kings of the Sakas, Yavanas, Kambojas, and Bahlikas, among others, will lead an [[dharma|adharmic]] rule in ''[[Kali Yuga]]''. (3.188.34-36).<ref>MBH 3/187/28-30</ref>

==Bahlika horses==
===Bahlika horses in Mahabharata===
Like Kamboja, the Bahlika region was famous for its horses, which were used by kings in wars.

*[[Krishna in the Mahābhārata|Vasudeva Krishna]] gave Arjuna hundreds of thousands of draft horses from the country of the Balhikas as part of his sister, [[Subhadra]]'s dowry (1,223).
*[[Shikhandi]]n's son Kshatradeva used steeds from Balhika in the [[Kurukshetra war]] (7,23).
*Bahlika breed horses were among those employed in the Kurukshetra war. Many steeds of the Vanayu, the hilly, the Kamboja, and the '''Balhika''' breeds, with tails, ears, and eyes motionless and fixed, possessed great speed, were well-trained, and ridden by accomplished warriors armed with swords and lances (7,34).
*[[Bhagiratha]] gave away a hundred thousand horses of the Balhika breed, all white of complexion, adorned with garlands of gold (13,103).
*[[Dhritarashtra]] wished to give sixteen cars made of gold, each drawn by four excellent and well-adorned steeds of uniform color and of the Bahlika breed, to Vasudeva Krishna, who came to talk to him on behalf of the [[Pandavas]] (5,86).

===Bahlika horses in other references===
The Brahmanda Purana refers to the horses from Bahlika.<ref>Brahmanda (V), III, Upodghata-Pada, Ch. 16.17.</ref> Similarly, the [[Valmiki]] Ramayana refers to the horses of Bahlika, Kamboja, and Vanayu countries as being of excellent breed.<ref name="Valmiki Ramayana I.6.22"/> ''Upamitibhavaprapanchakatha'' singles out horses from Bahlika, Kamboja, and Turuksha as the best.<ref>Upamiti 474</ref><ref name="Majumdar_405">History and Culture of Indian People, The age of Imperial Kanauj, p. 405, Dr. [[R. C. Majumdar]], Dr. A. D. Pusalkar.</ref> The ''Abhidhanaratnamala'' also mentions examples of excellent horses from Bahlika, Persia, Kamboja, Vanayu, Sindhu, and the land bordering on Sindhu.<ref name="Majumdar_405"/><ref>II, No. 511, 284</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|24em}}

==External links==
{{Tribes and kingdoms of the Mahabharata}}

[[Category:Ancient history of Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Kambojas]]

Bahlikas - Revision history

JohannaBuckley at 13:17, 28 December 2025