The Geography of the Puranas c6.86

c6.86

The geographical matter contained in different Purāṇas represents distinct stages in the progress of the geographical knowledge of the world in general and of Bhārata in particular. In some Purāṇas we find a bare sketch of world geography, while others give a detailed account of even distant lands. This expansion of geographical knowledge was due to (a) military expeditions which carried Indians to far-off lands, (b) commercial relations with lands across the northern mountain barriers and southern seas, (c) intense religious and missionary activities which made travel desirable, if not imperative, to distant and normally inaccessible regions and (d) political and diplomatic relations with foreign countries. This observation applies to the geography of India as well. Of all the Purāṇas, the Vāyu, the Mārkaṇḍeya, the Skanda, the Brahmāṇḍa, the Varāha, the Matsya and the Bhāgavata pay special attention to, and provide more detailed information about, the geography of India and the world. In some Purāṇas special regions or special topics receive more attention than others: