Coḷas

Coḷa · coḷa

The Coḷas are a people named in the Brahma Purāṇa among those who were kshatriyas by name, but whose dharma King Sagara rejected and put outside, at the command of Vasishṭha.

Sagara and the peoples he put outside

Lomaharshaṇa tells the munis that when King Bāhu was given to vices, the Haihayas, the Tālajaṅghas and the Śakas took his kingdom, and five gaṇas joined the Haihayas: the Śakas, Yavanas, Pāradas, Kāmbojas and Pahlavas. Bāhu’s son Sagara was born in the āśrama of Aurva, learned the Āgneyāstra from him, slew the Haihayas and set out to wipe out the Śakas and the others completely. They took refuge with Vasishṭha, who gave them freedom from fear and restrained Sagara.

Heeding his guru’s word, Sagara did not slay them, but rejected their dharma and changed their appearance: the Śakas with half the head shaved, the Yavanas and Kāmbojas with the head fully shaved, the Pāradas with their hair loose, the Pahlavas with beards. He put them all outside svādhyāya (the study of the Veda) and vashaṭkāra (the Vedic rites). “The Śakas and others, the Koṇisarpas, the Mahishakas, the Darvas, the Coḷas and the Keraḷas: all these by name were kshatriyas, but their dharma was rejected by him.” All this he did only by Vasishṭha’s command.

Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 8

Sources

• Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 8