Andhras

{{Short description|Ancient non-Aryan tribe}} {{about|the ancient tribe|the ethno-linguistic group|Telugu people|the present-day state|Andhra Pradesh}} {{Use Indian English|date=March 2019}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}} thumb|272x272px|Āndhra during the late-Vedic period

The '''Āndhras''' were an ancient non-Aryan<ref>{{cite book|quote=In the Aitareya Brahmaņa (VII, 18), the Andhras were mentioned together with the Pundras, Sabaras, Pulindas and Mūtibas as dasyu (non-Aryan tribes) living on the borders of the land|author=Akira Shimada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YweEJsuLNCUC|title=Early Buddhist Architecture in Context|date=9 November 2012 |page=|publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-23283-9 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2022-03-17 |title=Andhra Culture, A Synthesis |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/history/compilation/triveni-journal/d/doc68850.html |access-date=2025-01-24 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref> tribe of south-central Indian subcontinent, whose existence is attested during the Bronze Age. The Eastern Deccan region inhabited by Andhras was called Andhradesa. The modern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh derives its name from this historic tribe and region.

Andhras were mentioned in Aitareya Brahmana of the Rigveda ({{Circa|800 BCE}}) as the exiled sons of the Sage Vishvamitra.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gopalachari. K. |url=https://archive.org/details/EarlyHistoryOfTheAndhraCountry/page/n15/mode/2up?q=andhras |title=Early History Of The Andhra Country |date=1941 |pages=15}}</ref> In the Mahabharata, the infantry led by Satyaki were said to belong to the Andhra tribe. These combatants were described as being decked with ornaments, possessed of red teeth, and endued with the prowess of infuriated elephants. Attired in robes of diverse colours and smeared with powdered scents, they were armed with swords and nooses, capable of restraining mighty elephants, and remained companions in death who never deserted one another. Equipped with quivers and bearing bows, these warriors were characterised by their long locks, agreeable speech, fierce forms, and great energy.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Ganguli |first=Kesari Mohan |title=Karna Parva |url=https://www.yorku.ca/inpar/karna_ganguli.pdf |journal=In Parenthesis Publication, Sanskrit series |pages=20 |quote=Decked with ornaments, possessed of red teeth, endued with the prowess of infuriate elephants, attired in robes of diverse colours, smeared with powdered scents, armed with swords and nooses, capable of restraining mighty elephants, companions in death, and never deserting one another, equipped with quivers, bearing bows adorned with long locks, and agreeable in speech were the combatants of the infantry files led by Satyaki, belonging to the Andhra tribe, endued with fierce forms and great energy.}}</ref> Andhras were also mentioned in the Bhagavata, Vayu, Skanda, Markandeya and Matsya Puranas. Buddhist references to Andhras are also found.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Śrīhari |first=R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wRAhAAAAMAAJ |title=Proceedings of the Andhra Pradesh Oriental Conference: Fourth session, Nagarjuna University, Guntur, 3rd to 5th March 1984 |date=1987-01-01 |publisher=The Conference |language=en}}</ref>

Greek historian Megasthenes, in his ''Indica'' ({{Circa|310 BCE}}), described the Andhras as a distinct race living in the Krishna and Godavari river deltas.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gopalachari |first=K. |url=http://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.17073 |title=Early History of the Andhra country |date=1941 |pages=23 |quote=Megasthenes says that the Andhras were a separate race.}}</ref> They were famous for their military strength, which was second only to that of the Mauryans in all of Indian subcontinent. They had 30 fortified towns, an army of 100,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry and 1,000 elephants.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=V. D. |first=Mahajan |author-link=Vidya Dhar Mahajan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7TJlDwAAQBAJ&dq=Megasthenes+Andhras&pg=PA297 |title=Ancient India |date=2016 |publisher=S. Chand Publishing |isbn=978-93-5253-132-5 |pages=297 |language=en |quote=They were famous for their military strength which was second only to that of Chandragupta Maurya. The Andhra territory included 30 walled towns and a large number of villages. The army had 1,00,000 foot soldiers, 2,000 horsemen and 1,000 elephans.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=archive |first=From our online |date=2012-05-14 |title=5 walled cities from 300 BC unearthed |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra-pradesh/2008/Nov/15/5-walled-cities-from-300-bc-unearthed-6961.html |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en |quote=Andhras flourished during the time of Chandragupta Maurya much before the advent of the Satavahanas, and were said to be as powerful as Mauryans. They had 30 fortified walled cities way back in 300 BC, wrote the Greek traveller Megasthenes in his Indika.}}</ref> They were also mentioned at the time of the death of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in 232 BCE. The Satavahanas were referred to as the Andhras, Andhra-bhṛtyas or Andhra-jatiyas in the Puranas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Andhra Pradesh - MSN Encarta  |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580539/andhra_pradesh.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028105629/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580539/Andhra_Pradesh.html |archive-date=2009-10-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Location == The Andhras lived in the fertile deltas formed by the Krishna and Godavari rivers.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Ancient India as described by Megasthenês and Arrian |url=https://dn720003.ca.archive.org/0/items/b29352290/b29352290.pdf |journal=Internet Archive |quote=The Andarae are readily identified with the Andhra of Sanskrit—a great and powerful nation settled originally in the Dekhan between the middle part of the courses of the Godavari and the Krishna rivers,...}}</ref> These rivers, which carried large amounts of silt, created expansive and nutrient rich floodplains that enhanced the fertility of the surrounding land. Kolleru Lake, located between the two river deltas, played a vital role in the region's ecology and historical development. The deltaic zone, with its exceptionally rich alluvial soil—regarded as among the most fertile in the world and abundant water resources, supported a thriving agrarian economy and facilitated the growth of prosperous towns and cities.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/dli.jZY9lup2kZl6TuXGlZQdjZM1k0My |title=A History of the Early Dynasties of AndhraDesa C. 200-625 A.D. : with a map of ancient Andhradesa and Daksinapatna |date=1942 |publisher=V. Ramaswami Sastrulu & sons (Madras)}}</ref> The political centre of the Andhras was ''Andhapura''.

== Harappan heritage == Epigraphical and linguistic research has proposed a significant link between the ancient Andhras and the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC). According to the research, the name "Andhra" has a deep-rooted Dravidian etymology that predates its later Sanskritisation in Vedic literature. A total of '''9 words''' occurring as names or titles in Early Andhra history have been identified from the Indus Script as derived directly from the Indus Civilisation. The words can be classified as follows:<ref name=":142">{{Cite journal |last=Mahadevan |first=Iravatham |author-link=Iravatham Mahadevan |date=1 January 2010 |title=Harappan Heritage of Andhra: A New Interpretation |url=https://rmrl.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/papers/41.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=12, 14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610153451/https://rmrl.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/papers/41.pdf |archive-date=10 June 2021 |quote=}}</ref>

Dravidian Grammatical Morphemes: The foundational linguistic building blocks preserved from the Indus Civilisation include the roots '''''-(a)nṟ''', '''-(a)mpu''','' and '''''-ar / -ir'''''.<ref name=":142" />

Loanwords from Dravidian to Indo-Aryan: The regional name Andhra itself is identified as a Sanskritised loanword derived from the Dravidian root ''-(a)nṟ''. In Old Telugu/Proto-Dravidian, this root signifies "man" or "warrior".

Hybrids of Loanwords and Loan Translations: Terms such as '''āndhra-bhṛtya''' and '''āndhra-jāti''' combine original Dravidian roots with later Indo-Aryan social and administrative classifications. Specifically, '''āndhra-bhṛtya''' is derived from the Harappan '''JAR-MAN''' signs (''-anṟ- aṇ''), meaning "one subordinate to another person". '''āndhra-jāti''' corresponds to the '''JAR-HARROW''' signs (''-anṟ-kuṭi''), meaning "one who is a tenant or tiller under another person".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Harappan Heritage of Andhra: A New Interpretation |url=https://rmrl.in/en/dl/research-papers/mahadevan/ebook?id=Harappan%20Heritage%20of%20Andhra_2008 |access-date=2026-04-12 |website=rmrl.in}}</ref>

Loan Translations from Dravidian to Indo-Aryan: Key historical titles and dynastic names are interpreted as Indo-Aryan translations of original Dravidian concepts derived from Harappan signs: * '''Sātakarṇi''': Derived from the '''JAR (with handles)''' sign, representing ''sata-karṇa'' (ears of sacrificial vessel). * '''Sātavāhana''': Derived from the '''JAR-BEARER''' signs, representing ''sata-vahana'' (jar-bearing), which translates to "food-bearer". * '''Sālivāhana''': Derived from the '''ARROW-BEARER''' signs, representing ''śalya-vahana'' (arrow-bearing), which translates to "arms-bearer".<ref name=":1" />

This research suggests that the Andhras were a prominent non-Aryan group that migrated from the Indus Valley following its decline, carrying their cultural and linguistic identity into the Deccan. The descriptions in the ''Aitareya Brahmana'', which classify the Andhras as Dasyus or Mlecchas, fall in line with research characterising the tribe as non-Aryan.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Thapar |first=Romila |date=1971 |title=The Image of the Barbarian in Early India |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/178208 |journal=Comparative Studies in Society and History |volume=13 |issue=4 |pages=408–436 |issn=0010-4175 |quote=Whereas the gakas and Yavanas were denounced as vratya ksatryas and the Andhras were described as mleccha kings, the kings of this period, some of whom came from mleccha stock such as the Gonds and Gurjaras}}</ref>

== Hindu texts == {{See also|Hindu texts}}

=== Rigveda === According to Aitareya Brahmana of the Rigveda, the sage Vishvamitra had hundred sons; fifty of them were older than Madhuchhanda, and fifty were younger. The older ones were not pleased with (the installation of Sunahsepa to the primogeniture). Visvamitra then pronounced against them a curse: “You shall have the lowest castes for your descendants. ” Therefore, are many of the most degraded classes of men, the rabble for the most part, such as the '''Andhras''', Pundras, Sabaras, Palindas, and Mutibas, descendants of Visvamitra....”<ref>{{Cite book |last=Martin Haug |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.104262/page/n175/mode/2up?q=andhras |title=Aitareya Brahmana Of The Rigveda |date=1922 |pages=175}}</ref> All of those tribes are referred to as Dasyus, or non-Aryans living on the fringes of Aryan settlements.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bhandarkar |first=D. R. |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.csl.7014/page/n15/mode/2up?q=andhras |title=Lectures on the Ancient History of India on the period from 650 to 325 B.C. |date=1919 |publisher=University of Calcutta, Calcutta |pages=14}}</ref>

Historian E. J. Rapson notes that while Andhras were classified as 'outcasts' in the Brahmana, they likely remained non-Aryan in blood and speech during this period, even as they were being integrated into the broader Indian political landscape.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rapson |first=Edward James |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.47306 |title=The Cambridge History Of India Vol. 1 |date=1922 |pages=124}}</ref>

=== Ramayana === The Ramayana connects the Andhras tribe with the Godavari region. <blockquote> ''Nadlm Godavarlm caiva sarvamevanupa^yatah'' ''Tathaivandhramsca PundramSca cotan Pandramscaveratan'' [https://archive.org/details/361952998SrimadValmikiRamayanaSanskrit1933AD/page/n3/mode/2up — Ram. Kish. Kan. 41 chap. 12.] </blockquote>

=== Mahabharata ===

* In the Karna Parva of the Mahabharata, the infantry of the Yadava chieftain Satyaki was said to be composed of the '''Andhra''' tribe, who were known for their long hair, tall stature, sweet language, and mighty prowess. These combatants were decked with ornaments, possessed red teeth, and were endued with the prowess of infuriated elephants. Attired in robes of diverse colours and smeared with powdered scents, they were armed with swords and nooses, capable of restraining mighty elephants, and remained companions even in death, never deserting one another. Equipped with quivers and bearing bows, these warriors of the Andhra tribe were characterized by their long locks, agreeable speech, fierce forms, and great energy.<ref name=":0" /> * The ''Mahabharata'' (Mbh 6.9) lists the Andhras among other notable tribes of the time: "...the Kutas, the Maheyas, the Kakshas, the Samudranishkutas; the '''Andhras'''... * During his southern military campaign, Sahadeva subdued the '''Andhras''', Dravidas, and other southern tribes (Mbh 2.30). Later, Arjuna also encountered and subjugated the Andhras and Mahishakas during his post-Kurukshetra War conquest (Mbh 14.83). * The '''Andhras''', along with the Kalingas, were among the tribes subdued by Karna during his southern conquest (Mbh 7.4). * Krishna is recorded as the slayer of Chanura of the '''Andhra''' country (Mbh 13.149). * The '''Andhras''' participated in Yudhishthira's Rajasuya Yajna alongside several prominent kingdoms, signifying their royal stature (Mbh 2.33). * Alliances in the War: ** As Pandava Allies: The '''Andhras''', alongside the Dravidas and Kuntalas, were mentioned as part of the alliance supporting the Pandavas in the conversation between Krishna and Karna. (Mbh 5.140). ** As Kaurava Allies: They were also listed among the tribes supporting Duryodhana in the Kurukshetra War (Mbh 5.161–162). The message sent by Duryodhana to the Pandavas: <blockquote>''"The Kamvojas, the Sakas, the Khasas, the Salwas, the Matsyas, the Kurus of the middle country, the Mlechchhas, the Pulindas, the Dravidas, the '''Andhras''', and the Kanchis — these tribes protect my army."''</blockquote>

=== Puranas === * Srimada Bhagavatam refer to '''Andhras''', Pundras, Sabaras, Palindas, and Mutibas as Mleccha. * Markandeya Purana refers to a tribe called the Andhrarakas along with the Maulikas, Asmakas, Bhogavardhanas, Naisikas, Kuntalas etc., as people inhabiting the Southern region.<ref>{{Cite book |last=F. Eden Pargiter |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.188841/mode/2up?q=andhras |title=Markandeya Purana |date=1904 |pages=360}}</ref>

Andhras are also mentioned in the Vayu, Skanda and Matsya Purana. Buddhist references to Andhras are also found.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98843 |title=Journal of Indian History |date=1949-01-01 |publisher=University of Kerala. |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Datta |first=Manmathanatha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EmIMAAAAIAAJ |title=A Prose English Translation of the Mahabharata: (tr. Literally from the Original Sanskrit Text) |date=1897-01-01 |publisher=H.C. Dass |language=en}}</ref>

== Buddhist texts == {{See also|Buddhist texts}}

Amarāvatī in Andhra Pradesh is a major site for early Buddhist sculptures, some of which depict serpent-headed figures—possibly symbolic representations. The area was also known as Nāgadeśa, and its rulers as Nāgas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rock art sites in Andhra pradesh |url=https://www.ias.ac.in/public/Resources/meetings/myrmeet/pjm1_talks/nchandramouli/img12.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ganvir |first1=Shrikant |date=2010 |title=Representation of Naga in the Buddhist Art of Amaravati: A Sculptural Analysis |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=71 |pages=1063–1071 |jstor=44147573}}</ref>

Andhra's prominence in Buddhism is supported by its numerous monastic sites and trade routes. Vengi served as a major center, connected to Kaliṅga, Draviḍa, Kārṇāṭa, Maharāṣṭra, and Kosala.

== Early history == Greek historian Megasthenes reported in his ''Indica'' ({{Circa|303 BCE}}) that Andhras were living in the Godavari and Krishna river deltas and were famous for their military strength which was second only to Mauryans in all of India. They had 30 fortified towns along the Godavari River and an army of 100,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry and 1,000 elephants.<ref name=":5" /> Indica states that Andhra was a great and powerful nation settled originally in the Deccan between the lower Godavari and Krishna region, and had spread their sway towards the north as far as tho upper course of the Narmada, before the time of Megasthenes.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mccrindle |first=J. W. |url=https://archive.org/details/AncientIndiaAsDescribedByMegasthenesAndArrianByMccrindleJ.W/page/n141/mode/2up?q=andhra |title=Ancient India As Described By Megasthenes And Arrian by Mccrindle, J. W |pages=147 |language=English}}</ref>

The earliest epigraphic mention of the Andhra people is made in the Edicts of Ashoka, Andhras along with Pulindas were mentioned as border people. Andhras were also mentioned at the time of the death of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in 232 BCE. The Satavahanas were referred to as the Andhras, Andhra-bhṛtyas or Andhra-jatiyas in the Puranas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Andhra Pradesh - MSN Encarta  |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580539/andhra_pradesh.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028105629/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580539/Andhra_Pradesh.html |archive-date=2009-10-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<blockquote> ''9. hidā laja viśavashi Yona Kambojeshu Nabhaka Nabhapamtishu Bhoja Pitinikyeshu'' ''10. Adha Paladeshu shavata Devānampiyashā dhammanushathi anuvatamti[] yata pi dutā'' [https://archive.org/details/InscriptionsOfAsoka.NewEditionByE.Hultzsch/page/n186/mode/1up?view=theater — Ashoka, Rock Edict 13, Kalsi Rock, South Portion] '''Translation''' : Likewise here in the king's (Ashoka ) territory, among the Yonas and Kambojas, among the Nabhakas and Nabhapamkits, among the Bhojas and the Pitinikas, among the '''Andhras''' and the Pulinda, everywhere (people) are conforming to Ashoka instruction in morality. </blockquote>

[[File:India 2nd century AD.jpg|270x270px|thumb|Andhra Kingdom|alt=]]

=== Andhra dynasty === Following the decline of the Maurya Empire and during the Shunga period, the southern tribes, previously described as "unsubdued" in Ashokan edicts, united under a centralised Andhra leadership. E. J. Rapson suggests this consolidation in the deltas between the Godavari and Krishna rivers laid the foundation for the rise of the Satavahana dynasty, also referred to as ''Andhra-bhṛtyas'' or ''Andhra-jatiyas''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rapson |first=Edward James |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.47306 |title=The Cambridge History Of India Vol. 1 |date=1922}}</ref>

The first major Andhra polity in the Indian subcontinent were the Satavahanas, which ruled over the entire Deccan plateau and established trade relations with the Roman Empire.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wolpert |first=Stanley A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QSZuAAAAMAAJ&q=Andhra |title=A new history of India |date=1989 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-505636-5 |edition=3rd |location=New York |pages=75, 76 |language=en |quote=Apparently originating somewhere between the peninsular rivers Godavari and Krishna, homeland of the Dravidian Telugu-speaking peoples whose descendants now live in a state called Andhra, the great Andhra dynasty spread across much of south and central India from the second century BC till the second century AD.}}</ref> Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the late second century BCE and lasted until the early third century CE, although some assign the beginning of their rule to as early as the 3rd century BCE based on the Puranas. Various Puranas give different lists of the Satavahana rulers. The first king of the Andhra-Bhrityas is also known as Shudraka or Suraka in the ''Kumarika Khanda'' of ''Skanda Purana.''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kr̥shṇājī Pāṇḍuraṅga Kulakarṇī |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0CAPAAAAMAAJ |title=Sanskrit Drama & Dramatists: Their Chronology, Mind and Art |year=1927}}</ref> The ''Matsya Purana'' states that 30 Andhra kings ruled for 460 years, but some of its manuscripts name only 19 kings whose reigns add up to 448.5 years. The''Vayu Purana'' also mentions that there were 30 Andhra kings.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Madhukar Keshav |first=Dhavalikar |date=1996 |title=Sātavāhana Chronology: A Re-examination |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41702166 |journal= Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute|volume=77 |issue=1/4 |pages=133–140|jstor=41702166 }}</ref>

The word Andhras was observed from Udyotana's description of "those with beautiful bodies, who love women and war alike, and are great consumers of food" in 779 CE.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Verma |first1=C.B. |last2=Varma |first2=C.B. |date=2002 |title=The Prakrit Bloom |journal=Indian Literature |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=139–149 |jstor=23344538}}</ref> The references to Andhra also comes from the Jataka tales and the Pallava inscriptions as Andhapatham and Andhakas, referring to the region and its people respectively.<ref>Parallels for Ja 512#4 Kumbhajātaka (Ja v 14): Kv 1.1#355-#356 (Kv 1) Retrieved from https://suttacentral.net/ja512/en/francis on Wed 3 Mar 2021 13:08:55 GMT+0530 (India Standard Time).</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.myind.net/Home/viewArticle/andhras-the-worlds-oldest-surviving-ethno-political-identity/ Andhras- The world's oldest tribe] {{Tribes and kingdoms of the Mahabharata}}

History of Andhra Pradesh Category:Rigvedic tribes Category:Ancient peoples of India Category:Kingdoms in the Mahabharata Category:Kingdoms in the Puranas Category:Ancient tribes