India as Known to Panini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashtadhyayi c7.s3.12

c7.s3.12

*RIVERS*—On the north-west frontier Pāṇini mentions the river Suvāstu (IV.2.77; Swat). This river with its tributary the Gaurī (mod. Panjkora) flowed through Gandhāra of which the upper part was known as Uḍḍiyāna, famous for its blankets called *pāṇḍu-kambala*, mentioned by Pāṇini (IV.2.11). The western capital of Gandhāra was Pushkalāvatī which is identified with modern Charsadda a little above the junction of the Swat with the Kābul river. The *Kāśikā* mentions Pushkarāvatī as the name of a river in three *sūtras* (IV.2.85; VI.1.219; VI.3.119) along with certain other names as Udum-barāvatī, Vīraṇāvatī, Maśakāvatī. Of these Maśakāvatī seems to be identical with the name of the river on which Massaga or Massaka, capital of the warlike people known as the Aśvakāyanas was situated. It is possible that Pushkalāvatī and Maśakāvatī were the designation of only those particular portions of the river Swat where it flowed past by these two great towns of Gandhāra in the south and north respectively. It may be added that Patañjali mentions Udumbarāvatī, Maśakāvatī, Ikshumatī and Drumati definitely as names of rivers (II.287). Of these Udumbarāvatī may have flowed through the country of the Audumbaras, and Ikshumatī (also included in the Madhvādi group, IV.2.86) is identical with a tributary of the Ganges referred to as Oxymagis by Arrian and now known as Īkhan (also Kālindī) flowing through Farrukhabad district.