Charmanwati
Encyclopedia
Charmanwati alias Charmanvati, was a river mentioned in the epic Mahabharata
. It is identified as the modern day Chambal
river, a tributary of Ganges. This river was one of the destinations (along with other rivers like Ganges and Yamuna
) of the people who migrated from river Saraswati
, as it dried up, due to its proximity. The word Chambal has the meaning fish in some of the Dravidian languages
like Telugu
. The Matsya
rulers had their origin from the banks of this river. The word Matsya also means fish in Sanskrit
. Thus the banks of this river is thought to be the cradle of a fishermen community who later attained kingship.
Mahabharata
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....
. It is identified as the modern day Chambal
Chambal River
The Chambal River is a tributary of the Yamuna River in central India, and forms part of the greater Gangetic drainage system. The river flows north-northeast through Madhya Pradesh, running for a time through Rajasthan, then forming the boundary between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh before turning...
river, a tributary of Ganges. This river was one of the destinations (along with other rivers like Ganges and Yamuna
Yamuna
The Yamuna is the largest tributary river of the Ganges in northern India...
) of the people who migrated from river Saraswati
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...
, as it dried up, due to its proximity. The word Chambal has the meaning fish in some of the Dravidian languages
Dravidian languages
The Dravidian language family includes approximately 85 genetically related languages, spoken by about 217 million people. They are mainly spoken in southern India and parts of eastern and central India as well as in northeastern Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, and...
like Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
. The Matsya
Matsya Kingdom
Matsya or Machcha , classically called the Mese , was the name of a tribe and the state of the Vedic civilization of India. It lay to south of the kingdom of Kurus and west of the Yamuna which separated it from the kingdom of Panchalas...
rulers had their origin from the banks of this river. The word Matsya also means fish in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
. Thus the banks of this river is thought to be the cradle of a fishermen community who later attained kingship.
See also
- Matsya KingdomMatsya KingdomMatsya or Machcha , classically called the Mese , was the name of a tribe and the state of the Vedic civilization of India. It lay to south of the kingdom of Kurus and west of the Yamuna which separated it from the kingdom of Panchalas...
- Kingdoms of Ancient IndiaKingdoms of Ancient IndiaEpic India is the geography of Greater India traditionally around early 10th century BC and later on from the Sanskrit epics, viz. the Mahabharata and the Ramayana as well as Puranic literature ....
- National Chambal Sanctuary#History