Kikata
| Kikata Kīkaṭa | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common languages | Vedic Sanskrit | ||||||||
| Religion | Vedic Dharma | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Historical era | c. 1700–1300 BCE | ||||||||
| 
 | |||||||||
| Today part of | India | ||||||||
The Kīkaṭa kingdom, mentioned in the Vedas, is an ancient Indian kingdom whose precise geographical location remains a subject of scholarly debate. While some scholars associate it with the Magadha region in present-day Bihar, because Kikata is used as synonym for Magadha in the later texts; while others suggest a more western location, possibly in the vicinity of Kurukshetra (see below).
The Rigveda references the Kīkaṭas as a non-Vedic people, potentially of non-Aryan origin, living on the eastern side to Vedic India, who did not practice Vedas. Scholars like Zimmer have argued in referring to Yaksha, that they were a non-Aryan people. According to Weber, they were a descendants of Pre-Vedic Aryan people and native Indian people, but were sometimes in conflict with other Vedic people.