KAMBOJAS:
ONE OF THE MOST ANCIENT KASHATRYS/RAJPUT TRIBES OF INDIA/AFGHANISTAN .

Term RAJPUT has no reference to race or a tribe which means all Rajputs are not from common descent or common blood relationship. They indeed have diverse origin, which shows they descended from different ethnic/racial stocks. The term literally denotes a clan or or a tribe of warlike habits, the members of which claimed aristocratic rank. It was their warlike occupation coupled with their ruling status that gave them distinctive common feature and made the Brahmans recognize them as Kashatryas” (Dr K J. Das).

The so-called Rajput community comprises diverse clans. They were indeed an occupational people with war and government as their chief business. The word caught the fancy of time in 8th c AD. Some writers state that term RAJPUT is the continuation of the Panian term RAJANYA which term was applied to kings of the Monarchies, the descendents of the Kashatryas as well as to the chiefs of Republican clans of pre-christian era. Panini has stated that the kings who ruled over the Janapadas were KASHATRYAS and the same word denoted both descendents (citizens) of the KASHATRYAS i.e RAJANYAS and their king as it specifically applied to 15 main ancient Kashatryas tribes during the times of Panini i.e Kuru, Panchala, Kamboja, Gandhari, Kalinga, Magadha, Suramasa, Angas, Kunti, Asmaka, Salva, Pratyagratha, Kalakuta, Ajada, Kosala. (PANIAN KASHATRYAS)

See Panian evidence below:

KASHATRYA-sammana-sabadat janapadat tasya RAJANYA-PATYAVATA

[ IV.1.168.3, Panisni Ashtadhya].

Rajnyas here apparently equals to the medieval term RAJPUT.

The vast community of Rajputs (in modern context) descended mainly from the following three sources according to many scholars”.

•  Foreign Invaders like Sakas, Kambojas (Iranian affinities), Yavanas, Pahlavas Kushanas, Yuches and Hunas from whom are stated to emerge Parmar, Chohan, Pratihar and Solanki/Chalukya…the four Agnukula clans of the Rajput community.

•  The relics of Kashatrya population of Ancient Indo-Aryans …we have ancient traditional Kashatrya clans like Madras, Kurus, Panchalas, Kosalas, Vedic Kambojas, Anga, Vanga… etc.

•  The Aboriginal tribes like Gondas, Bharas, Kharwars from whom emerged Chandels, Rathors, Gaharwars, Rahsterkutas etc.

Also see V. A. Smith:

V. A. Smith believes that the Rajputs were a mixed race. Some of the Rajput clans were descendents of foreigners like Hunas, Sakas & Kushanas etc and other belonginging to the old Kashatrya tribes. In the beginning, these two groups were opposed to each other but in the course of time they got mixed up with each other. The Kashatryas or Rajputs group of castes at present essentially are an occupational group composed of all clans, following the Hinduised rituals, who actually undertook the work of government; consequently, people of most of the great Rajput clans now in existence inspite of their hoary pedugrees are descended from foreign immigrants or from Indiginous races such as old Kashatryas as also aboriginal castes such as Gonds, Bhars etc….

There are numerous references to Kambojas having entered India as frequent invaders as well as merceneray recruits before 2nd c BC. Also in mass migration after 2nd c AD when the Kambojas, Sakas and Pahlavas etc hand entered India in massive numbers from central Asia/Afganistan pushed out by the great Yuchihs***.

About the Kambojas, having entered India in the remote past and standing fully integrated into Indian society, see what Dr P. C. Bagchi has observes:

,
“The Kambojas were a Nomadic tribe living beyond Himalayans in Central Asia. One of their sections had entered India in the remote past, but they had been fully integrated and admixed with local population so that it is not possible to differentiate them apart now…………………………” (India & Central Asia, p 117, Dr P. C. Bagchi).

The Kambojas Dr P. C. Bagchi talks about are those Kambojas which have figured as following the Vedic Aryan culture in Epic times. They had entered India during/earlier than epic war and now stands fully integrated into the Indian society.