Yaudheya
Yaudheya Republic | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th century BCE–4th century CE | |||||||||
Yaudheya coin, imitative of Kushan coinage, 3rd-4th centuries CE. Obverse: Karttikeya standing facing, holding a spear with dvi (“two” in Brahmi) to the left of Karttikeya's head, peacock to lower right, Brahmi legend around: 𑀬𑁅𑀥𑁂𑀬 𑀕𑀦𑀲𑁆𑀬 𑀚𑀬 (yaudheya ganasya jaya, “Victory to the Yaudheya people”). Reverse: Devasena standing left, raising hand; flower vase to left, inverted nandipada to the right.
| |||||||||
Location of the Yaudheya relative to other groups: the Audumbaras, the Vemakas, the Vrishnis, the Kunindas, the Pauravas and the Arjunayanas | |||||||||
| Capital | Rohtak | ||||||||
| Government | Aristocratic Republic | ||||||||
| Legislature | Sabhā | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 5th century BCE | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 4th century CE | ||||||||
| |||||||||
._Kushan_imitative._3rd-4th_centuries_CE.jpg){kind=link}
Yaudheya (Brahmi script: 𑀬𑁅𑀥𑁂𑀬) or Yoddheya Gana (Yoddheya Republic) was an ancient military ganasangha (republic) based in the Eastern region of the Sapta Sindhu, in modern day Haryana. The word Yaudheya is a derivative of the word from yodha meaning warriors and according to Pāṇini, the suffix '-ya', was significant of warrior tribes, which is supported by their resistance to invading empires such as the Kushan Empire and the Indo-Scythians. Rudradaman I of the Western Satraps notes in his Junagadh rock inscription that the Yaudheyas were 'heroes among all Kshatriya' and 'were loath to surrender'. They were noted as having a republic form of government, unique from other Janapadas which instead maintained monarchies.