The Geography of the Puranas c7.s5.60

c7.s5.60

The Dhaulagiri cluster consists of 6 great peaks (above 24,000') within a radius of about 9 miles, situated on the Great Himalayan Range and its western bifurcation at Dhaulagiri. They are linear summits surmounted by great peaks of almost the same altitude. However, its size, shape, drainage and regional relationship do not in any way conform to the pattern prescribed by the Purāṇas. It may be safely ignored so far as its identification with Meru is concerned. This observation also applies to (c) above, which, with the exception of the fact that they are high plateaus, do not satisfy the other essential conditions laid down in (2) to (5) above. Tibet is too big a unit to be considered as a possible answer to the Purāṇic Meru. Even if we take the whole plateau of Tibet as Meru, the arrangement of mountain ranges and corresponding regions with respect to Meru becomes asymmetric which is against their general alignment as given in the Purāṇas.