The Shakas

Lesson 7 of 16 • 9 upvotes • 12:49mins

Abhyudaya Kelkar

The Scythians find frequent mention in the western literature. The Greek and Roman historians have variously described them as ‘blood-thirsty horse riders’. Probably, the Persians were the first to call them ‘Shakas’. These Scythians were nomadic horse riders and warriors who invaded many parts of the then known-world, including India. So the Indian branch came to be known as ‘Indo-Scythians’. Therefore, whenever we refer to the Shakas, we actually talk about the ‘Indo-Scythina’, in global context. These Shakas were pushed into the plains of India due to pressure from the other tribes of Central Asia. A new term has been coined by me – ‘The Circular Displacement’, to clearly explain the phenomena. There is wide usage of maps to explain the effect and migration of Shakas into India. The rest has been detailed in the lesson.