The Geography of the Puranas c7.s1.26

c7.s1.26

If we try to visualise the world of the Rāmāyaṇa with the help of the descriptions of mountains and rivers and their relative positions with reference to fixed or known points on the map of India and adjacent lands such as Kāśī, Ayodhyā, Himālaya, Gaṅgā, Citrakūṭa, etc. we come to the conclusion that the world of the Rāmāyaṇa covered the whole of South-Eastern Asia or at least a major part of it. An attempt has been made on the accompanying diagram (Fig. 1) to depict the major topographical features which are described or referred to directly or indirectly, in the Epic. The following points are to be noted because they have a direct bearing on the Purāṇic account of the seven dvīpas or continents.