Kikata
The Kīkaṭa kingdom, mentioned in the Vedas, is an ancient Indian kingdom whose precise geographical location remains a subject of scholarly debate. While some scholars associate it with the Magadha region in present-day Bihar, because Kikata is used as synonym for Magadha in the later texts; while others suggest a more western location, possibly in the vicinity of Kurukshetra.
The Rigveda references the Kīkaṭas as a non-Vedic people, descendants of ikshuvaku, and of non-Aryan origin, living on the eastern side to Vedic India, who did not practice Vedas, and worshipped rishabhadeva. Scholars like Zimmer have argued in referring to ikshu, that they were a non-Aryan people. According to Weber, they were a descendants of Pre-Vedic Aryan people and were sometimes in conflict with other Vedic people.
Location
While some scholars associate the Kīkaṭa kingdom with the Magadha region in Bihar, others propose alternative locations based on textual evidence and geographical analysis. Mithila Sharan Pandey suggests a location near Western Uttar Pradesh, while O.P. Bharadwaj places them near the Sarasvati River. Historian Ram Sharan Sharma believes they were likely situated in Haryana, and Michael Witzel proposes a location south of Kurukshetra, possibly in Eastern Rajasthan or Western Madhya Pradesh. Witzel's argument is further supported by the observation that the Magadha region is not explicitly mentioned in the Rigveda.List of rulers
Known notable rulers were:- King Kitaka
- Pramangada
- Suvira
- Suvahu
- Mahavira
- Valhika
- Kratha
- Vichitra
- Suratha
- Nila
- Madraka
- Karnaveshta
- Siddhartha