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KuruKingdom
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Kuru(Sanskrit:
)wasthenameofaVedicAryantribalunioninnorthern[note1]IronAgeIndia,encompassingthe
moderndaystatesofDelhi,Haryana,UttarakhandandwesternpartofUttarPradesh,whichappearedintheMiddleVedic
period[2](c.1200c.850BCE)anddevelopedintothefirstrecordedstatelevelsocietyinSouthAsiaaround1000
BCE,[3][note2]correspondingarchaeologicallytothePaintedGreyWareculture.[4]ItdecisivelychangedtheVedicheritage
oftheearlyVedicperiod,arrangingtheVedichymnsintocollections,anddevelopingnewritualswhichgainedtheirposition
inIndiancivilizationastheorthodoxsrautarituals,[3]whichcontributedtothesocalled"classicalsynthesis"[4]or"Hindu
synthesis".[5]

KuruKingdom
Sanskrit:

c.1200BCc.800
BC

ItbecamethedominantpoliticalandculturalcenterofthemiddleVedicPeriodduringthereignsofParikshitand
Janamejaya,[3]butitdeclinedinimportanceduringtheLateVedicperiod(ca.850500BCE),andhadbecome"somethingof
abackwater"[4]bytheMahajanapadaperiodinthe5thcenturyBCE.However,traditionsandlegendsabouttheKurus
continuedintothepostVedicperiod,providingthebasisfortheMahabharataepic.[3]

Contents
1History
2Society
3Inepicliterature
4Kurufamilytree
5Seealso
6Notes
7References
8Sources
9Furtherreading
10Externallinks

History

KuruandotherVedickingdoms

Capital

sandvat,later
Indraprastha(modern
Delhi)and
Hastinapura

Languages

VedicSanskrit

Religion

Hinduism
Brahmanism

Government

Monarchy

Historicalera
Established
Disestablished

IronAge
c.1200BC
c.800BC

Todaypartof

India

TheKurusfigureprominentlyinthelaterRigveda.TheKurushereappearasabranchoftheearlyIndoAryans,rulingthe
GangaJamunaDoabandmodernHaryana(earlierEasternPunjab).ThefocusinthelaterVedicperiodshiftedoutofPunjab,intothe
Doab,andthustotheKuruclan.[6]TheincreasingnumberandsizeofPaintedGreyWare(PGW)settlementsintheDoabareashows
this.ThesedevelopmentsresultedinthesubstantialenlargementofcertainsettlementssuchasHastinapurandKaushambitowards
theendoftheLaterVedicperiod.Thesesettlementsslowlybegantoacquirecharacteristicsoftowns.
TheKurutribewasformed,intheMiddleVedicperiod,[3]asaresultoftheallianceandmergerbetweentheBharataandPuru
tribes.[7]WiththeircenterofpowerintheKurukshetraregion,theKurusformedthefirstpoliticalcenteroftheVedicperiod,and
weredominantroughlyfrom1200to800BCE.ThefirstKurucapitalwasatsandvat,[3]identifiedwithmodernAssandhin
Haryana.[8][9]LaterliteraturereferstoIndraprastha(modernDelhi)andHastinapuraasthemainKurucities.[3]

Modernreplicaofutensilsandfalcon
shapedaltarusedforAgnicayana,an
elaboratesrautaritualfromtheKuru
period.

TheAtharvaveda(XX.127)praisesParikshit,the"KingoftheKurus",asthegreatrulerofathriving,prosperousrealm.Otherlate
Vedictexts,suchastheShatapathaBrahmana,commemorateParikshit'ssonJanamejayaasagreatconquerorwhoperformedthe
ashvamedha(horsesacrifice).[10]ThesetwoKurukingsplayedadecisiveroleintheconsolidationoftheKurustateandthedevelopmentofthesrautarituals,andtheyalso
appearasimportantfiguresinlaterlegendsandtraditions(e.g.intheMahabharata).[3]
TheKurusdeclinedafterbeingdefeatedbythenonVedicSalvatribe,andthecenterofVediccultureshiftedeast,intothePanchalarealm,inUttarPradesh.[3]Inthelater
Vedicperiod,thecapitaloftheKuruswastransferredtoKaushambi,inthelowerDoab,afterHastinapurwasdestroyedbyfloods[1]aswellasbecauseofupheavalsinthe
Kurufamilyitself.[11][12]InthelateVedicperiod(bythe6thcenturyBC),theKurudynastyevolvedintoKuruandVatsajanapadas,rulingoverUpperDoab/Delhi/Haryana
andlowerDoab,respectively.TheVatsabranchoftheKurudynastyfurtherdividedintobranchesatKaushambiandatMathura.[13]

Society
ThetribesthatconsolidatedintotheKurukingdomwerelargelyseminomadic,pastoraltribes.However,assettlementshiftedinto
thewesternGangesPlain,settledfarmingofriceandbarleybecamemoreimportant.Vedicliteratureofthistimeperiodindicatesthe
growthofsurplusproductionandtheemergenceofspecializedartisansandcraftsmen.Ironwasfirstmentionedasymaayas
(literally"blackmetal")intheAtharvaveda,atextofthisera.Anotherimportantdevelopmentwasthevarnasystemwhichdivided
societyintofourclasses.TheBrahminpriesthoodandKshatriyaaristocracydominatedthecommonVaishyasandthelowlynon
AryanShudras.[3]

ModernperformanceofAgnicayana,
anelaboratesrautaritualfromthe
Kuruperiod

Kurukingsruledwiththeassistanceofarudimentaryadministration,includingpurohita(priest),villageheadman,armychief,food
distributor,emissary,heraldandspies.Theyextractedmandatorytribute(bali)fromtheirpopulationofcommonersaswellasfrom
weakerneighboringtribes.Theyledfrequentraidsandconquestsagainsttheirneighbors,especiallytotheeastandsouth.Toaidingoverning,thekingsandtheirBrahmin
priestsarrangedVedichymnsintocollectionsanddevelopedanewsetofrituals(thenoworthodoxSrautarituals)toupholdsocialorderandstrengthentheclasshierarchy.
Highrankednoblescouldperformveryelaboratesacrifices,andmanyritualsprimarilyexaltedthestatusofthekingoverhispeople.Theashvamedhaorhorsesacrificewas
awayforapowerfulkingtoasserthisdominationinnorthernIndia.[3]

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Inepicliterature
Theepicpoem,theMahabharata,tellsofaconflictbetweentwobranchesofthereigningKuruclan.Somehistoriansbelieveitmay
havebeenbasedonasmallscaleconflict(possiblyabout1000BCE)whichwaseventually"transformedintoagiganticepicwarby
bardsandpoets."However,archaeologyhasnotfurnishedconclusiveproofastowhetherthespecificeventsdescribedhaveany
historicalbasis.TheexistingtextoftheMahabharatawentthroughmanylayersofdevelopmentandmostlybelongstotheperiod
betweenc.400BCEand400CE.[14]WithintheframestoryoftheMahabharata,thehistoricalkingsParikshitandJanamejayaare
featuredsignificantlyasscionsoftheKuruclan.[3]

Kurufamilytree
Thisshowsthelineofbothparentageandsuccession,accordingtotheMahabharata.Seethenotesbelowfordetail.

ThelaterKurustateinthe
Mahajanapadaperiod,c.600BCE

Kurua

Shntanua

Gang

Bhishma

Prshara

Chitrngada

Dhritarshtrab

Duryodhanae

Satyavati

Gndhri

Shakuni

Karnac

Yudhisthirad

Dussal

Dushsana

Ambik

Vichitravirya

Kunti

Bhimad

Amblik

Pndub

Arjunad

Vysa

Mdri

Nakulad

Subhadr

Sahadeva

(98sons)

Abhimanyu

Uttar

Parikshit

Madravati

Janamejaya
KeytoSymbols
Male: blueborder
Female: redborder
Pandavas:greenbox
Kauravas:yellowbox
Notes
a:ShantanuwasakingoftheKurudynastyorkingdom,andwassomegenerationsremovedfromanyancestorcalledKuru.HismarriagetoGangaprecededhis
marriagetoSatyavati.
b:PanduandDhritarashtrawerefatheredbyVyasaintheniyogatraditionafterVichitravirya'sdeath.Dhritarashtra,PanduandVidurawerethesonsofVyasawith
Ambika,Ambalikaandamaidservantrespectively.
c:KarnawasborntoKuntithroughherinvocationofSurya,beforehermarriagetoPandu.
d:Yudhisthira,Bhima,Arjuna,NakulaandSahadevawereacknowledgedsonsofPandubutwerebegottenbyKunti'sinvocationofvariousdeities.Theyallmarried
Draupadi(notshownintree)butshealsohad5sons.namedUpapandavas.
e:Duryodhanaandhissiblingswerebornatthesametime,andtheywereofthesamegenerationastheirPandavacousins.
f:AfterDhritarastraandGandhari'sruleinHastinapura,YudhisthiraandDraupadiascendedthethrone.NotArjunaandSubhadra.

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Thebirthorderofsiblingsiscorrectlyshowninthefamilytree(fromlefttoright),exceptforVyasaandBhishmawhosebirthorderisnotdescribed,andVichitraviryawho
wasbornafterthem.ThefactthatAmbikaandAmbalikaaresistersisnotshowninthefamilytree.ThebirthofDuryodhanatookplaceafterthebirthofKarna,Yudhishtira
andBhima,butbeforethebirthoftheremainingPandavabrothers.
SomesiblingsofthecharactersshownherehavebeenleftoutforclaritytheseincludeChitrngada,theeldestbrotherofVichitravirya.Vidura,halfbrothertoDhritarashtra
andPandu.

Seealso
UttaraKurus,UttaraKuruKingdom
PaintedGreyWareculture
Parikshit,Janamejaya
Panchala,Videha,Magadha

Notes
1. TheKururealmwasbasedintheareaofmodernHaryana,Delhi,UttarakhandandwesternpartsofUttarPradesh(theregionofDoab,tillPrayag/Kaushambi)innorthernIndia.[1]
2. alsoinB.Klver(ed.)(1997),Recht,StaatundVerwaltungimklassischenIndien.Thestate,theLaw,andAdministrationinClassicalIndia,Mnchen,R.Oldenbourg,p.2752

References
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

Pletcher2010,p.63.
Witzel1995,p.6.
Witzel1995.
Samuel2010.
Hiltebeitel2002.
TheGangesInMythAndHistory(http://books.google.co.in/books?
id=0obUy_W9NREC&pg=PA63&dq=prayag+Rig+veda&hl=en&ei=PIFXT5n7N8HTrQfo2sSODA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book
thumbnail&resnum=4&ved=0CEEQ6wEwAw#v=onepage&q=prayag%20Rig%20veda&f=false)
NationalCouncilofEducationalResearchandTraining,HistoryTextBook,Part1,India
http://books.google.com/books?id=AL45AQAAIAAJ&q=asandh
http://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC&pg=PA177
Raychaudhuri,H.C.(1972).PoliticalHistoryofAncientIndia:FromtheAccessionofParikshittotheExtinctionoftheGuptaDynasty,Calcutta:UniversityofCalcutta,pp.1146
Kaushambhi.nic.in(http://kaushambhi.nic.in/)
Allart.org(http://www.allart.org/Visual_History/01india1.htm)
PoliticalHistoryofUttarPradesh(http://upgov.nic.in/uphistory.aspx)GovtofUttarPradesh,officialwebsite.
Singh,U.(2009),AHistoryofAncientandMediaevalIndia:FromtheStoneAgetothe12thCentury,Delhi:Longman,p.1821,ISBN9788131716779

Sources
Hiltebeitel,Alf(2002),Hinduism.In:JosephKitagawa,"TheReligiousTraditionsofAsia:Religion,History,andCulture"(http://books.google.nl/books?
id=kfyzAAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&hl=nl#v=onepage&q&f=false),Routledge
Pletcher,Kenneth(2010),TheHistoryofIndia(http://books.google.co.in/books?id=VsujRFvaHI8C&pg=PA63&dq=Kuru+Kaushambi&hl=en&ei=I4hXT5PeM5GsrAfxJD
Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=bookthumbnail&resnum=1&ved=0CDMQ6wEwAA#v=onepage&q=Kuru%20Kaushambi&f=false),TheRosenPublishingGroup
Samuel,Geoffrey(2010),TheOriginsofYogaandTantra.IndicReligionstotheThirteenthCentury,CambridgeUniversityPress
Witzel,Michael(1995),"EarlySanskritization:OriginandDevelopmentoftheKurustate"(http://www.ejvs.laurasianacademy.com/ejvs0104/ejvs0104article.pdf)(PDF),EJVSvol.1no.
4(1995)

Furtherreading
Witzel,Michael(1995),"EarlySanskritization:OriginandDevelopmentoftheKurustate"(http://www.ejvs.laurasianacademy.com/ejvs0104/ejvs0104article.pdf)
(PDF) ,EJVSvol.1no.4(1995)
Samuel,Geoffrey(2010),TheOriginsofYogaandTantra.IndicReligionstotheThirteenthCentury,CambridgeUniversityPress

Externallinks
KuruKingdom(http://www.gloriousindia.com/history/kuru_kingdom.html)
MahabharataofKrishnaDwaipayanaVyasa(http://sacredtexts.com/hin/maha/index.htm),translatedtoEnglishbyKisari
MohanGanguli
TheKururaceinSriLankaWebsiteofKshatriyaMahaSabha(http://www.karava.org)
CoinsofKurujanapada(http://home.comcast.net/~pankajtandon/gallerieskuru.html)

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