Encyclopedias On the Kambojas

Dr. Samar Abbas, Aligarh, India.

The purpose of this article is to highlight the lack of coverage of Kamboja history in standard encyclopedias, and to uncover the consequent ignorance regarding this topic worldwide. One article in a hard-to-find encyclopedia is presented as a basis for further encyclopedia articles. Strategies for propagating Kamboja culture and redressing this imbalance are discussed, with pan-Scythianism and pan-Iranism identified as the main movements with which Kambojas must align in future.

Encyclopedia Britannica et al.

Encyclopedias provide a standard reference for the history of a community, for persons both inside and outside the ethnic group in question. Thus, the younger generation of Kambojas often desire to learn about their ancestors' deeds, and often resort to encyclopedias for this noble purpose. Furthermore, when Kambojas present their history to members of other communities, these persons often desire to confirm at least the kernel of Kamboja claims by resorting to standard encyclopedias. It is hence with grave concern that all Kambojas must view the virtual absence of their community's important history from virtually all major encyclopedias. Several encyclopedias do not have an entry for Kambojas, and indeed many do not contain a single instance of the word 'Kamboja'. In this category belong the Columbia Encyclopedia (Columbia 2002), the MSN Encarta Encyclopedia (http://encarta.msn.com), the Encyclopedia of the Orient (http://i-cias.com/e.o/) and the Probert Encyclopedia (Probert 2003). Even educated people perusing these reference works would end up with the impression that the Kambojas died out centuries ago. Worse still, the most commonly used reference work, Encyclopedia Britannica, is also woefully inadequate in its coverage of Kamboja history. Kamboja is only briefly mentioned in the following short paragraph:

"Kamboja adjoined Gandhara. Originally regarded as a land of Aryan speakers, Kamboja soon lost its important status, ostensibly because its people did not follow the sacred Brahmanical rites. a situation which was to prevail extensively in the North as the result of introduction of new peoples and cultures through the process of invasion, migration and ... Kamboja was noted for its horses, which came from Central Asia, and were traded to toher parts of India." (Britannica 1990, Vol.21, p.34)

This brief mention omits the bulk of Kamboja history, such as the Kamboja migrations to Tibet and Cambodia, the latter indeed being a country named after the Kambojas. It does not mention the fact that the modern-day Kamboh community of Punjab is descended from the ancient Kambojas. Nor does it mention the connection to Cambyses. Compounding these mistakes, it gives the impression that the Kambojas originally followed Brahminical rites, only to discard them later. There is of course, no evidence for this, for the Kambojas are a division of the Scythic or East Iranic branch of the Iranic race, and consequently never followed Brahminical rites at any point of their history. The enforced Brahmanization of Kambojas, and their consequent degradation to the status of sub-humans, occurred at a much later period in Kamboja history, during the Puranic Dark Ages under the tyrannical Gupta dynasty.

Hindu World: A Case Study

With such grave omissions, it is encouraging to note that at least one encyclopedia - "Hindu World" - has presented an entry on Kambojas. This article would, however, be out of reach for most Kambojas. and hence this entry is reproduced here to partly offset the lacunae in Encyclopedia Britannica:

"Kāmboja, an ancient tribe of north-western India frequently mentioned in ancient texts, although not in the Rigveda itself. In Manu they are classed with the Sudras, in the Mahabharata with the barbarians, and the Jātakas say they observed non-Brahmin customs. They were among the tribes opposed to king Sagara, who forced them to shave their heads as a token of submission and Pāṇini refers to them as muṇḍa, `bald'. They were Kaurava allies in the battle of Kurukshetra, and their king Sudakshina displayed great bravery and prowess in the field until shot dead by Arjuna.

The Kāmbojas are variously said to have belonged to Khorasan, Balkh, Bokhara, Afghanistan, Kafiristan, Kashmir and Tibet, with their capital at an unidentified place called Dvārka, a name with Maga associations. They were frequently listed with the Gandhāra, Yavana, Malla and Śaka peoples. They may indeed have been of Perso-Mongolian stock, although they spoke a dialect midway between Avestic and Vedic. Attempts have been made to connect the name Kāmboja with the Persian Cambyses (Old Persian Kambujia).

Aśoka sent missionaries to the Kāmbojas and recorded their conversion to Buddhism in a rock edict. A branch of the Kāmbojas seems to have migrated eastwards along the Himalayan foothills, hence their notice in the Tibetan and Nepali chronicles. Later they entered the Gangetic plains and by the 9th century AD came to conflict with the Pālas of Bengal. In the 10th century Pāla rule was terminated by the Kāmbojas who set up one of their chiefs as king. Kāmboja rule in Bengal lasted until they were deposed by resurgent Pālas in 980. The descendants of the Kāmbojas are still said to be found in North Bengal. [I., p.8]

- I. B.C.Law, Tribes of Ancient India, Poona 1943.
- II. Raychaudhuri, Pol. Hist of Ancient India, Calcutta, 6th ed. 1953."

(Walker 1968, Vol.I: A-L, p.520)

This entry does cover the migration of Kambojas into Tibet, and their conquest of Bengal. Kamboja laypersons can take this article as a short first-level, authoritative encapsulation of their history.

Hobson-Jobson on Camboja

However, while being the best summary of the encyclopedias surveyed for this article, the Hindu World entry is far from satisfactory, omitting entirely the migration of Kambojas to Cambodia. Such an omission is difficult to explain, for even the old Anglo-Indian Hobson-Jobson mentions this fact:

CAMBOJA, n.p. An ancient kingdom in the eastern part of Indo-China, once great and powerful: now fallen, and under the 'protectorate' of France, whose Saigon colony it adjoins. The name, like so many others of Indo-China since the days of Ptolemy, is of Sanskrit origin, being apparently a transfer of the name of a nation and country on the N. W. frontier of India, Kamboja, supposed to have been about the locality of Chitral or Kafiristan. Ignoring this, fantastic Chinese and other etymologies have been invented for the name. In the older Chinese annals (c. 1200 B.C.) this region had the name of Fu-nan; from the period after our era, when the kingdom of Camboja had become powerful, it was known to the Chinese as Chin-la. Its power seems to have extended at one time westward, perhaps to the shores of the B. of Bengal. Ruins of extraordinary vastness and architectural elaboration are numerous, and have attracted great attention since M. Mouhot?s visit in 1859; though they had been mentioned by 16th century missionaries, and some of the buildings when standing in splendour were described by a Chinese visitor at the end of the 13th century. The Cambojans proper call themselves Khmer, a name which seems to have given rise to singular confusions (see COMAR). The gum Gamboge (Cambodiam in the early records [Birdwood, Rep. on Old Rec., 27]) so familiar in use, derives its name from this country, the chief source of supply." (Yule & Barnell 1903: Camboja entry)

Taken together, the Hobson-Jobson and Hindu World encyclopedia entries provide a basic summary of Kamboja history. In particular, Hobson-Jobson mentions the Cambodia-Kamboja connection.

Some Gross Deficiencies

The above three encyclopedia entries from Encyclopedia Britannica, Hindu World and Hobson-Jobson all contain numerous omissions. While the 19th-century editors of Hobson-Jobson are likely to have been genuinely unaware of Kamboja history, such omissions are less pardonable on the part of Hindu World, and even less so in the case of Encyclopedia Britannica. The Hindu World encyclopedia has the largest coverage, but is still deficient in many respects.

Thus, the term "Perso-Mongolian" is unfortunate, for it was invented by Benjamin Walker himself and is almost a self-contradiction. The Persians are, like the Sakas and Mughals, a branch of the Iranic race. They are thus dolichocephalic (long-headed), leptorrhine (possessing long, thin-nose), tall, fair-skinned, with long black hair. On account of skeletal similarity with Nordics, some anthropologists prefer the name Nordic-Iranian. The Mongols, however, were brachycephalic (round-headed) and largely platyrrhine (flat-nosed). To create an imaginary category called Perso-Mongolian would thus be tantamount to creating such hallucinations as Nordic-Negroid or Nordic-Mongolian.

Moreover, the article appears to cast doubt on the "attempts" to connect Cambyses with Kamboja. This despite the uncontestable fact that it has been common for various provinces to be named after sovereigns. Thus, Georgia in North America was named for George II, Maryland was named after Queen Mary, Louisiana after King Louis XIV, Rhodesia in Africa after Cecil Rhodes, Columbia in South America after Christopher Columbus and Bolivia was named after Simon Bolivar. Why should we be so surprised to find a province named after Cambyses, Shahanshah of the Iranian Empire under the Achaemenid Dynasty and the greatest monarch of his age? Why should we then deny that the Columbians, Georgians, Bolivians and Kambojas are thus linked, not by birth, but by history, to some of the greatest men who ever lived?

Related to this mistake is an attempt to create confusion, claiming that Kamboja "was variously located" in Tibet (Ka-po-tsa), Afghanistan, and Khorasan, giving the impression that it was not known where Kamboja was. This is of course an entirely unnecessary controversy, for it is only natural for emigrants to name various localities in new colonies after their mother country. Thus, the Anglo-Saxons founded an "England" on the British Isles, a "New England" in North America, a "New England Mountain Range" located in Australia, and indeed an "East Anglia" located within the first "England" mentioned above. The same happened with the Kambojas, who migrated across the world, conquering vast territories across Asia. This is the reason why we find so many regions bearing variants of the name Kamboja, from Cambodia in Indo-China to Cambay in Gujarat and Ka-po-tse in Tibet. Of course, only a schoolboy would be puzzled by the numerous Englands located across the globe, or the numerous Kambojas located across Asia.

Another mistake is found in Hobson-Jobson, which makes the blunder of providing a Sanskrit etymology for Kamboja. The word is of Iranic origin, related to the mighty King Cambyses of the Achaemenid dynasty, and was only borrowed into Sanskrit much later. A Sanskrit etymology is ruled out because, while the lexical and grammatical structure of Sanskrit is of course largely Indo-European, the vocabulary of Sanskrit is overwhelmingly of Dravidian and Semitic origin. Thus, a famous Indologist notes:

"It is a fact that Sanskrit borrowed two-thirds of its vocabulary from Tamil and became an affluent' language." (Madhivanan 1981, p.76)

In this respect Sanskrit is similar to Greek, for the vocabulary of both Indo-European languages is largely of non-Indo-European origin. Hence, Sanskrit cannot be the source of any large fraction of Iranian words, for Iranic languages are purely Iranic and do not contain Dravidian or Semitic word-roots.

Tibet: Kambojas and Licchavis, or A Sample of Omitted Kamboj History

One of the aspects of Kamboj history which the above articles only touch upon is the crucial role they played in the history of Tibet. Indeed, the enterprising Kambojas founded a Kamboja in Tibet:

"In conclusion I want to point out that Tibetan tradition identifies the Lushai Hill tracts between Bengal and Burma with Eastern Kāmboja [16] [16. The Tibetan work, Pag-sam-jon-zang, See EI, vol.XII, pp.150ff ]. If this identification can be maintained, then my theory expressed elsewhere that the Kāmbojas possibly came from the East may not sound altogether absurd." (Ray 1939, p.511)

The Kambojas also ruled Bengal for a time:

"The editor of the grant [Irda copper plate grant discovered at, Balasore distt, Orissa], as well [as] Dr. Majumdar were at first inclined to accept these rulers as belonging to different branches of the Kambojas, a section of which is referred to as ruling in Gauda by a pillar inscription amongst the ruins of Bāṇgaḍ, in the district of Dinajpur in North Bengal. 6 [6. Dynastic History of Northern India, vol.3, p.308 ] (Ray 1939, p.508)

One of the reasons why the Kambojas chose to enter Tibet have been supplied by the great scholar Satis Chandra Vidyabhusana, who has proven that the ruling caste of Tibet - the Licchavis - was of Iranic origin and hence close kin of the Kambojas. It hence is only natural that the Kambojas should choose to migrate to Tibet. The conclusions of Vidyabhusana are so striking that they are best reproduced in his own words. Thus, after noting that, "In my humble opinion the Licchavis were a Persian tribe, whose original home was Nisibis, which they left for India and Tibet in the 6th century BC and 4th century BC, respectively. " (Vidyabhusana 1906, p.78) and recalling that "Arrian, who, in his Indika distinctly says that the Nysaioi (the inhabitants of Nysa or Nisibis) were not an Indian {p.79} race." (Vidyabhusana 1908, p.78-79), he goes on to note that:

" According to Pag-sam-jon-zang, Gyal-rab-sal-wahi-me-long¹¹ and other Tibetan books, the earliest Kings of Tibet from Nya-thi-tsau-po downwards belonged to the Li-tsa-byi race. There is, no doubt, that Li-tsa-byi is only a modified form of Licchavi. The first King of Tibet was Nya-thi-tsan-po, who was a wanderer from a foreign country. The exact date of his arrival in Tibet is unknown, but from Deb-ther-sṅon-po and other Tibetan records it appears that he lived between the 4th and 1st centuries BC. It is probable that during the occupation of Sogdiana ¹² and the neighbouring places by Alexander the Great, the Bactrian Greek Kings and subsequently the Scythians (the Yue-chi) about 150 BC, some Persian people from Nisibis (off Herat) migrated to Tibet into the Himalayan regions, where they established a monarchial system of Government on the model of the Government in Persia."
 

11. Compare Alexander Csoma de Koros' Tibetan Grammar, p.194. As books in Tibet were written long after the intercourse of that country with India had been opened, the Litsabyi Kings of Tibet are often mentioned as having originally come from Vaisāli in India. As a matter of fact the Licchavis of Vaisāli and Tibet are collateral branches of a Persian race in Nisibis (off Herat).
12. Encycl. Brit., 9th ed., Vol.XXII, p.246.

(Vidyabhusana 1908, p.79)

The most convincing proof of the immigration of Kambojas into Tibet is provided by the characteristically Irano-Aryan custom of exposing the dead:

"The custom of exposing the dead to be devoured by wild animals, as it prevailed in Vaisāli and is still found in Tibet, was, I believe, introduced into those countries from Persia by the Licchavi immigrants. It is hardly necessary to add that the practice of exposure of the dead is widely followed in Persia and its dependancies, including Nisibis." (Vidyabhusana 1908, p.80)

The round-headed Vedic Indo-Aryans, by contrast, cremate their dead. The crucial role played by the Kambojas and their Licchavi relatives in the foundation of Tibetan civilization are only one aspect of Kamboja history which is not contained in the standard encyclopedias. It is hence imperative to formulate some strategies to undo the damage done to Kamboja history.

Strategies for Kamboja Mobilization

The almost universal omission of Kambojas and their history by important encyclopedias is a grave mistake which must be rectified as soon as possible. This sad state of affairs has contributed to widespread ignorance about Kamboja history, even amongst Kambojas themselves. A very important task for Kamboja organizations is hence to lobby various encyclopedias to include entries on Kamboja history. Encyclopedia Iranica (http://www.iranica.com) could be a good starting-point, and the other reference works cited above should also be targetted in this regard. Mass emails, signature campaigns, letters and the internet can perform wonders.

This struggle will be greatly benefited through the skillful choice of permanent allies. In this respect, there are two ideologies the Kambojas should support: pan-Scythianism and pan-Iranism. Since the Kambojas are of Scythic stock, other Saka populations form natural permanent allies. Hence, the Jats (Getae, Goths), Aroras (Arattas), Gehlotes (Galatians) and indeed, all Punjabis, are natural friends for Kamboja resurgence. The Rajputs, Musalman Sindhis, Sikhs (Sakas), Dardic Kashmiris and Mughals or Urdu Muslims, are also largely Scythic, and hence potential sympathisers. Rajputs are Sauras or Sun-worshippers, and hence practice the same primordial Iranic religion as the Kambojas. A Kamboja-Rajput alliance is hence natural, as is a Kamboja-Sikh front. Furthermore, the Mughals in particular are especially numerous across South Asia, numbering more than 200 million souls, and consequently in possession of considerable economic and political muscle power. As an example, the Mughal infotech baron Azim Premji of Wipro is one of the wealthiest men on earth, and the Mughals dominate, along with their Scythic Punjabi kinsmen, the Iranic military state of Pakistan. Emphasis on the common Scythic and Iranic heritage of Mughals and Kambojas can hence provide significant steam power for the nascent Kamboja renaissance.

Furthermore, the Scythians represent the East Iranic branch of the Iranic or Irano-Aryan race. Thus, outside the closer circle of Saka blood-brothers, the Kambojas can reach out to the wider international Iranic community as well. Above all, the Persians, Kurds, Pashto or Pathans, and the Tajiks are close kin of Kambojas. This last point is very important, for a pan-Iranianist Kamboja cultural movement can obtain the support of the powerful governments of Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan along with their significant financial muscle. Given the welter of competing nationalities in India fighting for an ever-decreasing share of limited historical funds, it would be wise for the Kamboja community to search for richer pastures to preserve their heritage. Transient and illusory borders of temporary nation-states should not be treated as any hurdle in this regard.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Prof. Shireen Moosvi, Prof. Qazi Afzal Hussain and Prof. Irfan Habib (Aligarh) for fruitful discussions. Thanks also due to Deepak Kamboj, Kamboja Mahasabha, Abbas Atrvash , Farrokh A. Ashtiani (http://www.PersianParadise.net) and Fatema Soudavar Farmanfarmaian for their kind encouragement.

Encyclopedias

Britannica 1911: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911 ed., http://www.1911encyclopedia.org.

Britannica 1990: Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th ed., Chicago, 1990, http://www.britannica.com

Columbia 2002: "Columbia Encyclopedia," 6th ed., Columbia Univ. Press, New York, 2002, http://www.bartleby.com/65.

Probert 2003: "The Probert Encyclopedia", Probert Publishing, 5 Longcroft Close, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 8XG, England, http://www.probert-encyclopedia.co.uk.

References

Madhivanan 1981: "Pavanar: a Pioneer in Tamilology" by R. Madhivanan, J. of Tamil Studies, vol. 19 (June 1981) p.73-80.

Ray 1939: "New Light on the History of Bengal", Dr. H.C.Ray, The Indian Historical Quarterly, Vol.XV, No.4 (Dec.1939) p.507-511.

Vidyabhusana 1908: "Persian Affinities of the Licchavis" by Prof. Satis Chandra Vidyabhusana, The Indian Antiquary, Vol.XXXVII, March 1908, p.78-80; Swati Publishers, 34, Central Market, Ashok Vihar, Delhi-110052, reprint 1985, Rs.600.

Walker 1968: "Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism", by Benjamin Walker, Vol.I: A-L, p.520; George Allen & Unwin Ltd., Ruskin House, Museum St., London 1968 (2 vols.).

Yule & Burnell 1903: "Hobson-Jobson: a glossary of colloquial Anglo-Indian words and phrases, and of kindred terms, etymological, historical, geographical and discursive." by Henry Yule & A.C.Burnell, Murray, 1903, reprinted Routledge & Kegan Paul, London 1985, http://www.bibliomania.com/2/3/260/