▁of ▁the ▁ep ith et ▁" R atta " ▁in ▁many ▁later ▁ins cri ptions ▁had ▁prompt ed ▁a ▁claim ▁by ▁Re u ▁that ▁the ▁earliest ▁Ras ht rak ut as ▁were ▁descend ants ▁of ▁the ▁Ar att as , ▁n atives ▁of ▁the ▁P un j ab ▁region ▁mentioned ▁in ▁the ▁text ▁of ▁Mah ab har ata ▁who ▁later ▁migr ated ▁south ▁and ▁set ▁up ▁kingdom s ▁there , ▁while ▁another ▁theory ▁of ▁J . H . ▁Fle et ▁points ▁more ▁generally ▁to ▁north ▁western ▁regions ▁of ▁India . ▁Based ▁on ▁this ▁theory , ▁the ▁Ar att as ▁may ▁have ▁become ▁n atives ▁of ▁the ▁De cc an ▁having ▁arrived ▁there ▁during ▁the ▁early ▁centuries ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁mill en ni um . ▁ ▁This ▁is ▁counter ▁to ▁the ▁argument ▁by ▁other ▁sch ol ars ▁that ▁the ▁term ▁Ris ht ika ▁used ▁together ▁with ▁Pet en ika ▁in ▁the ▁Ash ok an ▁ins cri ptions ▁imp lied ▁they ▁were ▁her edit ary ▁r uling ▁cl ans ▁from ▁modern ▁Mah ar as ht ra ▁region ▁and ▁the ▁term ▁" R atta " ▁imp lied ▁Mah ar atta ▁r uling ▁families ▁from ▁modern ▁Mah ar as ht ra ▁region . ▁But ▁this ▁has ▁been ▁rejected ▁on ▁the ▁basis ▁that ▁from ▁ancient ▁books ▁such ▁as ▁D ip avam sha ▁and ▁Mah avam sha ▁in ▁P ali ▁language ▁it ▁is ▁known ▁the ▁term ▁Mah ar atta ▁and ▁not ▁Ras ht ri ka ▁has ▁been ▁used ▁to ▁sign ify ▁her edit ary ▁r uling ▁cl ans ▁from