Chinas

The Chinas, Cīna, or Chīnaḥ (Sanskrit चीनः (cīna)) are a people mentioned in ancient Indian literature from the first millennium BC and first millennium AD, such as the Mahabharata, Laws of Manu, and the Puranic literature. The origin of the Sanskrit name "Cina" is commonly believed to have been the Qin (Tsin or Chin in older transliterations) dynasty which ruled in China from 221 BC, or the preceding state of Qin which is traditionally dated to the 9th century BC. There are a number of other suggestions for the origin of the word. Some Chinese and Indian scholars argued for the state of Jing (荆) as the likely origin of the name, while other theories suggest it is derived from Zina, the endonym of the inhabitants of Yelang. The Sanskrit epic work Mahabharata contains certain references to China, referring to its people as the China tribe. In the Mahabharata, the Chinas appear together with the Kiratas among the armies of king Bhagadatta of Pragjyotisa (Assam). In the Sabhaparvan, the same king is said to be surrounded by the Kiratas, and the Cinas. Also in the Bhismaparvan, the army of Bhagadatta is said to consist of the Kirtas and the "yellow-coloured" Cinas. Bhishamaparva of Mahabharata also lists the Chinas with the Mlechha tribes of the north like the Yavanas, Kambojas, Kuntalas, Hunas, Parasikas, Darunas, Ramanas, Dasamalikas. Shantiparvan of Mahabharata groups the Chinas with the tribes of the Uttarapatha, viz. the Yavanas, Kiratas, Gandharas, Shabras, Barbaras, Shakas, Tusharas, Kanakas, Pahlavas, Sindhus, Madrakas, Ramathas, and the Kambojas and states them to be living the lives of Dasyus. These verses of the epic expect these tribes to perform certain duties which are different from those performed by the Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras. Vanaparvan of the Mahabharata states that the territory of the Chinas can be reached by a land-route across the country of the Kiratas in the mountain regions of the north.