Miscellany: Cedis

Summary

This miscellany note synthesises ethnographic and literary traditions about the ancient Cedi people of central India. According to Puranic lore, the belt stretching from Bihar through Rajputana along the Yamuna river belonged to the Visava kings, a branch of the Kauravas. A Kaurava prince named Vasu conquered the region and earned the epithet caidyo‑paricara, “overcomer of the Caidyas.” He settled his five sons in separate territories: the eldest Bhadraratha in Magadha, Pratyagraha in Cedi, Kāsas in Kauśāmbī, Lalitha in Kirūṣa and another son in Maithalya or Matsya. This tradition links the Magadhas, Kārūṣas, Cedis, Vatsas and Matsyas into one ethnopolitical group, just as Angas, Vaṅgas and Kalingas formed another. Epic and Puranic sources locate the Cedi territory near the Yamuna, roughly corresponding to the Bundelkhand region south‑east of its confluence with the Chambal. Their capital, known variously as Sotthivatīnagara, Sukeimatī or Suktimati, is identified with modern Banda near the Ken river. The Great Epic presents the Cedi people as prosperous, righteous, honest and compassionate; they were known for their generosity and respect for elders and animals. Jātaka stories describe the kingdom as rich in food and drink, while Jain and Buddhist texts refer to its capital and merchants. The miscellany concludes that the Cedis constituted a significant janapada of ancient Madhya‑deśa and that their territory, culture and virtues were recognised across Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina literature.