Pulinda (Sanskrit: पुलिन्द) was an ancient tribe of south-central South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The Pulindas are considered a non-Indo-Aryan tribe.
Location
During the later Vedic period, the Pulindas were living to the south-east of the Daśārṇas. Though clearly associated with the Vindhyan region, the Pulindas are sometimes believed to have had multiple tribal branches that ranged up to the Himalayan region and Assam. In the Himalayan region, ancient Indian literature often mentions them in conjunction with the Kiratas.
History
The Pulindas are mentioned in the Aitareya Brahmana of the Rigveda (c. 500 BCE) as descendants of the sage Vishvamitra, along with the Andhras, Pundras, Sabaras, and Mutibas.
The Rock Edicts of Ashoka (269–231 BCE) mention the Pulindas, their capital Pulinda-nagara, and their neighboring tribes. Based on these edicts, their capital is sometimes located in present-day Jabalpur District of Madhya Pradesh, India. Scholar D.C. Sircar notes that the Pulindas were a hill tribe usually connected with the Vindhyan range, with several branches identified: (1) a western branch, (2) a Himalayan branch related to the Kiratas and Tanganas, and (3) a southern branch.
Basak identifies them with the hill tribes of the Vindhya and Satpura ranges, more specifically the Bhils.
In Literature
The Pulindas are mentioned extensively in Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata, where they are depicted as brave warriors, highwaymen, and forest-dwellers. According to the Jatland Wiki, the region of Pulinda has been identified with modern Bundelkhand, and they are recorded as having fought in the Mahabharata War on the Kaurava side.
In the Vayu Purana, a southern branch of the Pulindas is placed alongside the Vindhya-muliyas. The Pulindanagara (Pulinda-nagara) is recorded in Pāli Buddhist texts as a capital situated in Dakkhiṇāpatha (the Deccan or "southern district") of ancient India.
Etymology
The term Pulinda appears in Sanskrit, Pali, and Prakrit sources. The feminine form Pulindī (पुलिन्दी) refers to a Pulinda woman and is also the name of a rāga (musical mode) in Indian classical music.
