Yavana
Topic: Bhakti and Sufi Traditions · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 2 "Bhakti-Sufi Traditions"; Class 12, Ch 3 "An Imperial Capital: Vijayanagara"
Meaning
Yavana is a Sanskrit word. It was first used for the Greeks. Later it was used for other peoples who came into the subcontinent from the north-west. In medieval texts it was sometimes used for Turks and other Muslim rulers too. Like Shaka, it was an old name for a people, not a word for a religion.
Example
Krishnadeva Raya of Vijayanagara (early 16th century) took pride in the title "establisher of the Yavana kingdom". He used it because he had put a Deccan Sultan back on the throne.
Don't confuse with
- Turushka: a Sanskrit word from the 8th–14th centuries meant only for people of Turkish origin. Yavana was older and wider in meaning.
- Mlechchha: a general word for anyone outside caste rules and Sanskrit culture, often used as an insult. Yavana first meant one particular people, the Greeks.
Related concepts
- Ulama
- Sharia
- Hadis
- Zimmi
- Five pillars of Islam
- Khojahs
- Ginan
- Mihrab
- Regional mosque architecture
- Turushka