There was a war between the Kings mostly from the North of Vindhyas.
Now there is yet another reference of the Tribes of India , involving Sage Vasishta and Viswamitra.
Sage Vasishta, though the Family Priest of the Ikshvaku Dynasty, not much of is heard of him after Ramayana.
It seems that he left with Shiva and Ganesha towards the west of India during a Tsunami,while Vaiwasvatha Manu left for Ayodhya to found the Ikshvaku Dynasty.
There is a reference that Sage Viswamitra banished his 51 sons to Dravida Desa( History of the Tamils by PT. Srinivasa Iyeangar).
Now let us look at these two facts together to find out more about the tribes of Dravida Desa.
One of the Tribes who took the side of Vasishta against Viswamitra when the latter tried to take away Vasishta’s Cow,Nandini , is the Kanchi .
Kanchi, Kanchipuram finds a reference in all the Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Harivamsa of Kalidasa and Bhrthuhari’s works.
Kanchi was called the learning center of the south like Nalanda in the North.
Tamil Classics also speak of Kanchi,and the Sangam Literature calls it as Kanchi Mudur,Ancient Kanchi.( The Term Mudur is used only for two cities (Mudur),Madurai and Kanchi).
These two cities are quite ancient if one goes through these references.
Kanchi tribe is mentioned in the Mahabharata Thus,
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When the sage Vasistha was attacked by king Viswamitra’s army, Vasistha’s cow, Kamadehnu, brought forth from her tail, an army of Palhavas, and from her udders, an army of Dravidas and Sakas; and from her womb, an army of Yavanas, and from her dung, an army of Savaras; and from her urine, an army of Kanchis; and from her sides, an army of Savaras. And from the froth of her mouth came out hosts of Paundras and Kiratas, Yavanas and Sinhalas, and the barbarous tribes of Khasas and Chivukas and Pulindas and Chinas and Hunas with Keralas, and numerous other Mlechchhas.
In the ancient Indian literature, cow is a symbol of earth or land. Thus the myth mentioned above simply means that, these tribes gathered for the protection of sage Vasistha’s land against the army of king Viswamitra.(
And some moments after, from her tail she brought forth an army of Palhavas, and from her udders, an army of Dravidas and Sakas; and from her womb, an army of Yavanas, and from her dung, an army of Savaras; and from her urine, an army of Kanchis; and from her sides, an army of Savaras.
Mbh.5.161.7227
Like a frog having its abode in a well, why art thou not able to realise the might of this vast army of the assembled monarchs, invincible, looking like the very celestial host, and protected by these lords of men, as the heavenly host by the gods themselves, protected that is, by the kings of the East, the West, the South and the North, by the Kamvojas, the Sakas, the Khasas, the Salwas, the Matsyas, the Kurusof the middle country, the Mlechchhas, the Pulindas, the Dravidas, the Andhras, and the Kanchis, this host of many nations, ready for battle, and resembling the uncrossable current of the Ganga.
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