Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Vol. I, Part I: History of Gujarat c5.s2.2

c5.s2.2

FROM ancient times the present province of Gujarát consisted of three divisions Anartta, Suráshtra, and Láṭa. Anartta seems to have been Northern Gujarát, as its capital was Anandapura the modern Vaḍanagara or Chief City, which is also called Anarttapura.¹ Both these names were in use even in the times of the Valabhi kings (A.D. 500-770).² According to the popular story, in each of the four cycles or yugas Anandapura or Vaḍanagara had a different name, Chamatkárapura in the first or Satya-yuga, Anarttapura in the second or Tretá-yuga, Anandapura in the third or Dvápara-yuga, and Vriddha-nagara or Vaḍanagar in the fourth or Káli-yuga. The first name is fabulous. The city does not seem to have ever been known by so strange a title. Of the two Anarttapura and Anandapura the former is the older name, while the latter may be its proper name or perhaps an adaptation of the older name to give the meaning City of Joy. The fourth Vriddha-nagara meaning the old city is a Sanskritized form of the still current Vaḍnagar, the Old or Great City. In the Girnár inscription of Kshatrapa Rudradáman (A.D. 150) the mention of Anartta and Suráshtra as separate provinces subject to the Pahlava viceroy of Junágadh agrees with the view that Anartta was part of Gujarát close to Káthiáváḍa. In some Puránas Anartta appears as the name of the whole province including Suráshtra, with its capital at the well known shrine of Dwáriká. In other passages Dwáriká and Prabhás are both mentioned as in Suráshtra which would seem to show that Suráshtra was then part of Anartta as Káthiáváḍa is now part of Gujarát.