Bahlikas

In the classical Sanskrit literature, the Bahlikas or Balhikas (also named Vahlikas or Valhikas) were an ancient people inhabiting a northwestern region of South Asia, which had same name. They are mentioned in the Atharvaveda, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas, Bṛhat Saṃhitā, Amarakosha, and several other works.

Geography

Vedic literature

In Atharvaveda 5.22 (dated first millennium BCE), mentions of Balhikas along with other northwestern peoples occur in form of charm against fever;

gaccha takman mūjavantaṃ vā balhikān vā parastaram

"Go, O fever, to the Mūjavants, or farther away to the Balhikas."

In Sanskrit epics

The Karṇa Parvan, 8.30.35–47 section of Mahabharata (dated no later than 4th century CE) names country of the Balhikas as Aratta, and places it where six rivers of Sutlej, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Jhelum and Indus flowed, as;

pañca nadyo vahanty etā yatra pīlūvanānyapi

śatadruśca vipāśā ca tṛtīyerāvatī tathā

candrabhāgā vitastā ca sindhuṣaṣṭhā bahirgatāḥ

āraṭṭa nāma te deśā...

pañca nadyo vahantyeta yatra niḥsṛtya parvatāt

āraṭṭa nāma balhikā na teṣvaryo dvyaham vaset

"Where these five rivers, viz. Śatadru, Vipāśā, the third Irāvatī, Candrabhāgā and Vitastā flow and where there are pīlū-forests and (where) Sindhu is the sixth to flow out, this country is called Āraṭṭa... That (region) where these five rivers, emerging from the mountains flow, this Āraṭṭa (country) is called Bālhika where the Arya should not stay even for two days."

Salya, the king of Madra mentioned in the Mahabharata, has been called a Bahlika Pungava (i.e., foremost among the Bahlikas). Princess Madri from the Madra is also referred to as Bahliki (i.e. a princess of the Bahlika clan). In the digvijay expedition of Pandava Arjuna, there is a reference to a group called the Bahlikas, whom Arjuna had to fight. They are stated to have been located on the southern side of Kashmir as neighbors to the Ursa and Sinhapura kingdoms.A passage in the Ramayana attests that on the way from Ayodhya to Kekaya, one had to pass through the country of Bahlikas, located somewhere in Punjab.