Kamboi

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Bombay Presidency, 1909, northern portion

Coordinates: 23.68° N 72.02° E

Kamboi is an ancient village/town located in chanasma taluka, in Patan district, in the modern Indian State of Gujarat. This place is at a distance of 10 km west of Chanasma on the Harij-Mehsana road. It has post office Postcode number of 384230.


Contents

[edit] Antiquity of Kamboi

The history of Kamboi is said to be very ancient. The town is first mentioned in the 10th century in the Daan Patras (gift letters) of the Chalukya rulers and is referred to as Kamboika [1].

[edit] Etymology of Kamboi

Kamboika is stated to have been evolved from the Pali Kambojaka or Kambojika as follows:

Kambojika == > Kamboyika == > Kamboika since hard palatal j is known to change to soft y in Indo-Aryan languages and further yi == > i.

The change of palatal j to soft y is not unusual. The Shabazgarhi Inscriptions of king Ashoka also write Kamboja as Kamboya where j is replaced with y.

(See: Shahbazgarhi Rock Edict No 5 [1] and No 13 [2])

To give a few more illustrations, the terms SamJogita, SamaJa, Jajman, Jadu, Jogi and GaJni etc are also found written as SamYokita, SamaYa Yajman Yadu, Yogi and GaYni where also the j has become soft y.

And lastly, the penultimate letter k being sandwiched between two vowels gets eliminated in ancient Indo-Aryan languages following a documented procedure as noted by ancient Prakritic Grammarians. According to third century Prakritic grammarian Acharya Varuchi, the consonants k, g, ch, j, t, d, p etc. falling between two vowel sounds usually get elited [2].

Hence KamboiKa == > Kamboi

Thus, the 15th century records refer to this town as Kamboi [3].

[edit] Ancient Jain Tirtha

The Kamboi town also has an ancient and famous Jain tirtha (pilgrim place) by the same name located in the centre of the Kamboi town. There is also a Railway Station at Kamboi.

[edit] Land-locked Trade Port

Recent archaeological excavations have discovered that even though land-locked now, the Kamboi and Kambay had been once well known sea ports on the western coast of Gujarat. Similarly also, there was a port named Gandhar localized in Taluka Bhroach (ancient Bharukachcha) contiguous to Narbada. [3].


[edit] References

  1. ^ See: Indian Antiquary VI, 1877, pp 191-92, G. Buhler
  2. ^ See: E. B. Cowel, The Prakrita Prakasha, preface pp ii-iv.
  3. ^ See: History and Culture of Indian People, The Delhi Sultanate, p 155, Dr R. C. Majumdar, Dr A. D. Pusalkar.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, Vol I, James Tod
  • Glossary of Tribes of Panjab and North-West Frontrier Provinces, Vol I, H. A. Rose
  • Hindu Polity, A Constitutional History of India in Hindu Times, Part I & II, 1978, Dr K. P. Jayswal
  • History and Culture of Indian People, The Delhi Sultanate, Dr R. C. Majumdar, Dr A. D. Pusalkar
  • Indian Antiquary, VI, 1877, pp 191-192, G. Buhler
  • Kamboja Itihaas, Panjabi) 1972, H. S. Thind
  • Ancient Kamboja, People and the Country, 1981, Dr J. L. Kamboja
  • The Sind, M. C. Lambrick
  • Epigraphia Indica, Vol XXIV, pp 45-46
  • Vanger Jatya Itihaas (Vanglala), Rajanya Kanda, Nagendra Nath
  • Internet Websites [4], [5], [6], [7] etc.