The Geography of the Puranas c11.s2.12

c11.s2.12

(1) Small rivers or streams, such as we find in the desert belt or in the mountainous belt to the west of the Indus, are lines of assimilation which attract population all around them. The river valley is therefore invariably associated with a human group which gets settled there, acquires distinct traits and forms a ‘tribe’ or community which in its turn organises itself into a janapada. These janapadas are obviously ‘river janapadas’, separated from each other by spurs of mountains or patches of desert sand.