Bhilla: 17 definitions
Introduction:
Bhilla means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit, the history of ancient India, Marathi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Bhilla (भिल्ल).—A tribe.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa IV. 7. 19.
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Bhilla (भिल्ल) refers to a man of a certain wild tribe (which, when touching certain vessels, pollutes them), according to the Pātravidhi—a manual of the Lakulīśa Pāśupata school of Śaivism dealing with purification of the initiate’s vessel (pātra) and other concerned issues.—Accordingly, “One should abandon altogether vessels made of clay, wood and fruit, which have come into contact with phlegm, tears, pus, stools, urine, liquor, sperm and blood. One should abandon altogether a vessel which is touched by a thief, an outcast, one who has lost his status by committing a crime, a dog, a man of Bhilla or some other (bhilla-ādi) [wild tribes], and also [a vessel which has come into contact] with a crow’s faeces and similar [polluting] things. A vessel very much spoiled [by impure substance] should be broken and floated in water. (44–46ab)”.
Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.
In Jainism
General definition (in Jainism)
Bhilla (भिल्ल) refers to a sub-division of the Mlecchas: one of the two-fold division of men born in Mānuṣottara and in the Antaradvīpas, situated in the “middle world” (madhyaloka), according to chapter 2.3 [ajitanātha-caritra] of Hemacandra’s 11th century Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritra: an ancient Sanskrit epic poem narrating the history and legends of sixty-three illustrious persons in Jainism.
Accordingly:—“In these 35 zones on this side of Mānuṣottara and in the Antaradvīpas, men arise by birth; on the mountains, Meru, etc., by kidnapping and power of learning, in the 2½ continents and in 2 oceans. [...]. From the division into Āryas and Mlecchas they are two-fold. [...] The Mlecchas—[e.g., the Bhillas, ...] and other non-Āryas also are people who do not know even the word ‘dharma’”.
Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.
India history and geography
Bhilla refers to one of the various tribes of ancient India, as depicted in the Kathās (narrative poems) such as Uddyotanasūri in his 8th-century Kuvalayamālā (a Prakrit Campū, similar to Kāvya poetry).—Page 135.6: There is a reference to Vijayā Mahāpurī which was situated on the sea shore and the same as Nagarjuna Kunda, the famous capital of the Ikshvaku kings as stated in their inscriptions. It seems to be a historical fact that the monument of Vijayāpurī stood intact and the place enjoyed wide celebrity. The leader of the caravan was one Vaiśramaṇadatta. There follows (lines 27 f.) a description of the attack on the Sārtha and its plunder by wild Bhillas.
The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
bhilla (भिल्ल).—m (S) A race of people that inhabit hills, forests, fastnesses, and subsist by hunting and robbing: also an individual of that race, a Bhil.
bhilla (भिल्ल).—m A race of people that inhabit hills, a Bhil.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Bhilla (भिल्ल).—Name of a wild tribe (who lives in the Vindhya hills, in the forests of Mālawa, Mewar, Khandesha and the Deccan); मलये भिल्लपुरन्ध्री चन्दनतरुकाष्ठमिन्धनं कुरुते (malaye bhillapurandhrī candanatarukāṣṭhamindhanaṃ kurute) Subhāṣ.
-llī 1 The lodhra tree.
2) A woman of the Bhil tribe; भिल्ली पल्लवशङ्कया वितनुते सान्दुद्रुम (bhillī pallavaśaṅkayā vitanute sāndudruma) ... Udb.
Derivable forms: bhillaḥ (भिल्लः).
Bhilla (भिल्ल).—m. A barbarian of a particular tribe.
Bhilla (भिल्ल).—[masculine] [plural] [Name] of a people; [masculine] sgl. a king of the Bh., [feminine] ī a Bh. woman.
1) Bhilla (भिल्ल):—m. Name of a wild mountain race, ([probably]) the ‘Bheels’ (who live in the Vindhya hills, in the forests of Malwa, Mewar, Kandesh, the Dakhin), [Kāvya literature; Kathāsaritsāgara] etc. (ifc. f(ā). )
2) a king of the Bhillas, [Kathāsaritsāgara]
3) the son of a Śabara and an Andhrī (who was previously married to a Niṣṭhya,), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
4) a species of Lodhra, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
Bhilla (भिल्ल):—(llaḥ) 1. m. A barbarina of a particular tribe, a Bheel.
Bhilla (भिल्ल):—
1) m. Name eines wilden Gebirgsvolkes [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 934.] [Halāyudha.2,444.] [Oxforder Handschriften 339,a,47.] antyajāśca carmakārarajakanaṭabaruḍakaivartakamedabhillāḥ sapta [PRĀYAŚCITTEND. 19,b.] pulindamedabhillāśca pullo mallaśca dhāvakaḥ . kundakāro ḍokhalo vā mṛtapo hastipastathā .. ete vai tīvarājjātāḥ kanyāyāṃ vrāhmaṇasya ca [Parāśarapaddhati im Śabdakalpadruma] [Spr. 3755. 5231.] āhuka [Oxforder Handschriften 64,b,4.] veṣa [77,a,11.] rāja [Kathāsaritsāgara 13, 42. 19, 59.] bhillī f. [Śārṅgadhara’s Paddiiati] [SAṂSARGAPRAŚAṂSĀ 14 (13).] bhillīcakreśvara (Viṣṇu) [PAÑCAR. 4, 3, 77.] Vgl. [Lassen’s Indische Alterthumskunde (II) I, 436. fgg.] —
2) f. ī Symplocos racemosa Roxb. [Rājanirghaṇṭa]
--- OR ---
Bhilla (भिल्ल):—
1) [Kathāsaritsāgara 56, 23. 59, 26. 61, 146. 149. 71, 5. fgg.] ein Fürst der Bhilla [122, 4.] sabhillāmaṭavīm (so ist zu schreiben) [61, 145.]
Bhilla (भिल्ल):——
1) m. — a) Nomen proprium eines wilden Gebirgsvolkes. Am Ende eines adj. Comp. f. ā. — b) eine Fürst der Bhilla. —
2) f. ī ein Weib der Bhilla 1)a). cakreśvara m. Beiw. Viṣṇu's. cakeśra m. Beiw. Viṣṇu's.
Bhilla (भिल्ल) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Bhilla.
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Prakrit-English dictionary
Bhilla (भिल्ल) in the Prakrit language is related to the Sanskrit word: Bhilla.
Prakrit is an ancient language closely associated with both Pali and Sanskrit. Jain literature is often composed in this language or sub-dialects, such as the Agamas and their commentaries which are written in Ardhamagadhi and Maharashtri Prakrit. The earliest extant texts can be dated to as early as the 4th century BCE although core portions might be older.
Kannada-English dictionary
Bhilla (ಭಿಲ್ಲ):—[noun] a man who belongs to a caste the members of which live on hunting animals; a hunter.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Bhilla (भिल्ल):—n. name of a wild tribe in Rajasthan and Vindyaparbat of India;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with (+0): Bhillaal, Bhillabhushana, Bhillabusana, Bhillaci Hatti, Bhilladi, Bhillagavi, Bhillajakara, Bhillama, Bhillamala, Bhillana, Bhillapalli, Bhillar, Bhillarasa, Bhillata, Bhillataru, Bhillati, Bhillaura, Bhillava, Bhillayai.
Full-text (+43): Bhillabhushana, Bhillagavi, Bhillataru, Ekakikesharin, Parnaka, Medabhilla, Bhillana, Pulindaka, Bhilli, Bhillota, Bhillotaka, Bhillapalli, Antyaja, Bhilavada, Pulinda, Bhilabhushana, Bhillin, Bhillaci Hatti, Bhila, Bhill.
Relevant text
Search found 40 books and stories containing Bhilla; (plurals include: Bhillas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra (by Helen M. Johnson)
List of 18 guilds < [Notes]
Part 2: Story of Bandhudatta < [Chapter IV - The wandering and emancipation of Pārśvanātha]
Part 11: Journey to Kuṇḍina < [Chapter III - Vasudeva’s Marriage with Kanakavatī and her Former Incarnations]
Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)
Chapter LXI < [Book X - Śaktiyaśas]
Chapter LXXI < [Book XII - Śaśāṅkavatī]
Chapter CI < [Book XII - Śaśāṅkavatī]
Padma Purana (by N.A. Deshpande)
Chapter 222 - Kāśī, Gokarṇa, Śivakāñcī, Tīrthasaptaka and Bhīmakuṇḍa < [Section 6 - Uttara-Khaṇḍa (Concluding Section)]
Chapter 200 - The Episode of a Bhilla and a Lion < [Section 6 - Uttara-Khaṇḍa (Concluding Section)]
Chapter 89 - The Miraculous Bath in the Water of Mānasa Lake < [Section 2 - Bhūmi-khaṇḍa (section on the earth)]
Indian Antiquary (a journal of oriental research) (by Jas Burgess)
Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal No. 187 (Pt. I. No. 4, 1873) < [Volume 3 (1874)]
The Dvaiasharaya (Dvyasraya Kavya) (5) The Fifth Sarga < [Volume 4 (1875)]
The Dvaiasharaya (Dvyasraya Kavya) (4) The Fourth Sarga < [Volume 4 (1875)]
Shiva Purana (by J. L. Shastri)
Chapter 28 - Śiva’s incarnation as Yatinātha haṃsa (swan) < [Section 3 - Śatarudra-saṃhitā]
Chapter 40 - The Kirāta-Arjuna dialogue < [Section 3 - Śatarudra-saṃhitā]
Chapter 39 - The demon Mūka is killed in the context of the incarnation of Kirāta < [Section 3 - Śatarudra-saṃhitā]