The Geography of the Puranas c10.1

c10.1

BHĀRATAVARṢA is commonly identified with the Indian sub-continent.¹ But, in fact, no comprehensive designation was given to the Indian sub-continent in ancient Indian or foreign literature. 'Sapta Saindhava' was the name given to the Punjab plains by Vedic Aryans; 'Āryāvarta' was the designation of Āryan domain in the days of Baudhāyana and Manu; the word 'Ind' or 'Indu' (Hindu) was applied by Darius and Herodotus to the Indus Valley and the Upper Gangetic region with which they were acquainted. It is only in or about the 4th century B.C. that Kātyāyana and Megasthenes give an account of approximately the whole country down to the Pāndya region in the extreme south. The Epics also mention the Pāndya realm in the south and the peninsulas and islands beyond the Bay of Bengal.