Nishada the Ancient Kingdom

Ancient India Kingdom Nishada:

The ancient Indian Kingdom of Nishada belonged to the Nishada tribe. This tribe lived in the Vedic period. The Vedic people considered these as outcasts. This Kingdom was located in Aravalli ranges in the Rajasthan state of India. According to a Puranic story, once Sudra begot a son upon a Kshatriya woman. The boy becomes a Nishada, and he must watch the fish. Later his inheritors became the kings; those kingdoms were called Nishada Kingdoms.

Nishadas kingdom was mentioned in Mahabharata, which is the epic of Hindus. The tribe’s adobe was the hills and the forests. They were followed by the Nishada king called Vena. He became unrighteous and became the slave of wrath and malice. They did not follow the ethics of everyday society. They tortured the people who belonged to other kingdoms. Some of Vena’s descendants became Nishadas, and others were called Mlechchhas. Nishadas lived in hamlets, and Mlechchhas resided in the Vindhya mountains.

Ekalavya, the Nishada King:

Ekalavya Belongs to the ancient Indian Kingdom Nishada. In Mahabharata Ekalavya the son of Nishada king Hiranyadhanas. Ekalavya was very ambitious to become a famous warrior. To fulfil his desire, he approached the favourite and qualified teacher Dronacharya. Then he was already giving training to Pandavas and Kauravas in archery and other military activities. Ekalavya’s ambition was put before Dronacharya; Dronacharya refused to accept Ekalavya as a student and explained to him that he only takes Kshatriya princes as his students. After hearing the decision of Dronacharya, he felt very disappointed. Again he reback his courage and made an idol of Dronacharya and started practising the use of bow and arrows. He attained more skill in using a bow and hands quickly.

Defeats of Nishada Kings:

Ancient Indian kingdom Nishada was visited once by Sahadev during his military campaign to the south to collect tribute for Yudhisthira’s Rajasuya sacrifice. He conquered the country of the Nishadas. Ekalavya, the king of the Nishadas, always used to challenge Vasudeva Krishna to battle, but Krishna slew him in action. After the Kurukshetra war, Arjuna came to the Nishada Kingdom of Ekalavya to collect tribute for Yudhisthira’s Ashwamedha sacrifice and defeated the son of Ekalavya.

Nishada Kingdom of Manimat:

Manimat had his Kingdom to the south of Kosala. Bhima visited this Kingdom during his Military campaign to the east to collect tribute for Yudhisthiras Rajasuya’s sacrifice. He defeated the king of the Bhargas and the ruler of the Nishadas. The present-day Kingdom is possibly the Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

Some Nishada kings participated in the Kurukshetra war. Some supported Pandavas, and others helped Kauravas.