Early History of the Dekkan down to the Mahomedan Conquest c10.14

c10.14

Now Mâhishmat appears to be the same southern country which in the Purânas is associated with Mahârâshtra and is called Mâhishakas. Mâhishmatî on the banks of the Narmadâ was probably its capital. Here we may, I think, argue, as Professor Goldstucker has done in many similar cases, that had Pâṇini known the Pâṇḍyas, Cholas, and Mahishmat, he would not have omitted the names from his rules, considering how careful a grammarian he was. Very likely, then, he did not know them, and this supposition is strengthened by the fact alluded to above that the name of no other southern country occurs in his Sûtras Thus then the Âryas of the north were not familiar with the southern countries and tribes in the time of Pâṇini, but were so in the time of Kâtyâyana. The latter author also mentions a town of the name of Nâsikya,¹⁰ which is very likely the same as our modern Nâsik.