Yaudheya

Yaudheya (Brahmi script: 𑀬𑁅𑀥𑁂𑀬) or Yaudheya Gaṇasaṅgha (Yaudheya Republic) was an ancient Indian military ganasangha (republic) based in the Eastern region of the Sapta Sindhu, in modern day Haryana. The word Yaudheya is a derivative of the word from yodha meaning warriors and according to Pāṇini, the suffix '-ya', was significant of warrior tribes, which is supported by their resistance to invading empires such as the Kushan Empire and the Indo-Scythians. Rudradaman I of the Western Satraps notes in his Junagadh rock inscription that the Yaudheyas were 'heroes among all Kshatriya' and 'were loath to surrender'. They were noted as having a republic form of government, unique from other Janapadas which instead maintained monarchies.

== Geography == According to Anant Sadashiv Altekar, numismatic evidence indicates that the territorial dominion of the Yaudheyas extended from Bahawalpur in the South-West to Ludhiana in the North-West, encompassing Delhi in the South-East and Saharanpur in the East. However, his research suggests that the Yaudheyas comprised not just one unified entity, but rather three separate republics. In addition to the aforementioned region, another republic was situated in Northern Rajasthan while a further one existed in Northern Pañcāla. He describes the capital as being situated in modern-day Rohtak.