HISTORY OF KAMBOH IN UPPER INDIA

"The Kambo or Kamboh caste found in upper India is the descendents of the Ancient Kamboja people of Pamir and Badakshan" (Ref: Cultural Heritage of India Vol II, by Dr. C. P. Ramaswami Aiyer, Vice Chancellor Hindu Banaras University).

"Ancient Kamboja tribe was a famous Iranian tribe whose descendents we find in the Kambos of today's Punjab" says Dr. Buddha Parkas in his Social and poltical movements in Ancient Punjab 1964 page 242-243.

"The Kambohs, a farming community of Panjab are the modern descendents of the ancient Kambojas of Pamir/Badakshan" says Dr Acharya R. R. Pandey (Ref: Sidhant Kaumdi 1966 p20-22 by Dr Acharya Radha Raman Pandey. In this context please also ref to works of Dr H. C. Rai Chaudhary, Dr J. C. Vidyalankar, K. S. Dardi, Dr J. Lal Kamboj etc etc).

According to Bhai Kahn Singh from Nabha, "Scholars are of the opinion that the Kambo community of Panjab is related to ancient Kamboja country which was located in the Hindukush mountain system and its adjoining geographical areas, and which land was noted in ancient literature for its finest breed of horses" (refer to entries Kambo and Kamboj: Gurbani Ratnakar, Panjabi Shabad Kosh page 257 by Bhai Kahan Singh Nabha).

Some writers have used the word Kamboz for Kamboja people (vide Jat Tribes of Zira 1992, by Mr H. S. Shergil M.A. L.L.B.), which is historically and grammatically incorrect. There has never been any word like Kamboz in ancient Sanskritic/Prakrit/Persian or Khmer literature or in any ancient rock or epigraphic inscriptions. One tribal section of Shiaposh Kafir Kambojas of the Hindukush does call itself as Kamoz, but that is only a dialectical variation confined to a restricted and isolated region only. The standard and literary word which has been in use from times immemorial is unmistakeably and undoubtedly the 'Kamboj' and not the Kamboz.

Yaska (500 BC) in his famous Nirukuta (2/2) defines Kambojas as“ Kamnyabhojas (Epicureans, the people with fine tastes, or enjoyers of excellent foods) and Kambhalbhojas (the people fond of wearing woolen blankets)”.

Ancient Kamboja country was mostly a hilly and cold land comprising Hindukush mountain range, Badakshan and parts of Tajikstan & Uzbekstan land north of Oxus river where fine varieties of grapes, pistachio, walnuts, almonds, kesera etc were abundantly grown and are still grown and which formed an important constituent of Kamboja People's diet. These foods were counted amongst the most precious food stuff in India in ancient times and still are the most expensive delicacies from Indians' point of view.

Further, Kamboja country being a very cold country, the Kambojas people habitually wore woolen blankets as a fashion as well as out of necessity (Ref: K. S. Dardi.). These blankets or Kambbals and furs were emroidered with fine threads of gold, which again was a luxury stuff. In Rig Veda (V. 1. 126 .7), Gandharah is shown as famous for its good wool. "Quite in keeping with Kambojas's association with Gandharah, is the love of Kambojas for blankets (kambhals) to which Yasaka (11. 2/2) bears testimoney" says Dr H. C. Raychaudhury in his classical book Political History of Ancient India 1923/1996.

Again, in continuation to the above premise,"… Kamboja people were not only famous for their furs and skins embroiderd with threads of gold, their woolen blankets (Kambhals), their wonderful horses, and their beautiful women,….. but by the Epic period, they became especially renowned as Vedic scholars and their homeland as a seat of Brahmanical learning." (Ref Hindu World Vol I, by Benjamin Walker, Kamboja People and the Country 1978 by Dr. J. Lal Kamboj). This quotation from another famous indologist again speaks of Kambojas' love for Kambhalas or blankets.

Furthermore, the Kamboja people were epicurean and aristocratic class of people, besides being excellent warriors and Vedic scholars (Kritvidyashach) during Yaskian and Epic periods. Mahavanihija Jataka especially makes a mention of blankets or Kambhals of Oddiyana or Udyana of Suvastu city of Swat valley (Suatsos of the Greeks) which region was undoubtedly, a part of the famous ancient Kamboja Mahajanapada or country, and was inhabited by Assakenois (Asavaks) and Gaurean (Gore) Kambojas, as modern historians have conclusively proved (for details, please refere to Alexandra of Greece and the Kamboja People, page 38). Mahabharta also speaks high of the expensive blankets/shawls and precious foodstuff of the Kamboja country.

(vide Mahabharta, Sabha Parav, Ch 7).

Thus Yasaka has only been realistic and true in describing and defining the Kamboja people as Kambalbhoja as well as Kamnyabhoja. (Ref: Nirukuta 2/2 by Yasaka, Kamboja People and the Country by Dr J. L. Kamboj D. Lit, These Kamboj People by K. S. Dardi).

The modern Kamboja people, unfortunately, do not have the ancient radiant halo and splendrous glory they once used to have around them, when they had their own independent country or countries like Kamboja, Param Kamboja, and Kambuj Desh (i.e Kampuchea, Kambujia or Cambodia) etc where-in the Kamboja people lived and which was ruled by the Kamboja princes (These Kamboj People 1979 by K. S. Dardi) as Panini tells us in his Ashatadhyai.

(vide sutra 4-1-175…..: Kamboja-ul-uk of Panini's Ashadhyai).