The Geography of the Puranas c7.s5.64

c7.s5.64

According to the Purāṇas, north of Meru there are, in order, three mountain ranges, the Nīla, Sweta and Śṛṅgavān (see Fig. 6). They are respectively the boundary ranges of Ramayaka, Hiraṇmaya and Kuru, and spread east and west up to the ‘Salt Ocean’. They are two thousand yojanas wide. In length each succeeding range is a little shorter than the preceding one. Similarly, to the south of Meru are the three ranges, the Niṣadha, Hemakūṭ and Himālaya (or Himavān) spreading east and west like the preceding ones. The width of these ranges is the same as that of the northern ranges. They are the boundary ranges of Harivarṣa, Kimpurṣa and Bhārata-Varṣa.