The Geography of the Puranas c8.234

c8.234

(i) Respected Brahmanas, I shall now describe the internal valleys and their extents which are located on the west. In the central part of Suvakṣa and Sikhi-Śaila mountains there is a rocky and stony area. Its diameter is one hundred Yojanas and it is always hot. People are afraid of touching that surface. It is inaccessible to all creatures, and dangerous even to mighty men. In the central part of that rocky surface there is a dangerous place, with a diameter of thirty Yojanas, where Agni Deva is throwing thousands of flames into it. Agni Deva is always burning without any fuel. Whichever portion is given to Fire God, the same God Fire is always burning there. There is a Matuluṅga surface of ten Yojanas between the great mountains named Devāpi and Caya. That entire forest area is beautiful. It is full of golden and luscious fruits. This place contains the most sacred Āśrama of Viraspati, full of saints, which gives pleasure and fulfills all desires. In the same way there is a Kesar valley covering several Yojanas beween two great mountains named Kumud and Añjanācala. The forest in that area has beautifully coloured, everblooming flowers. They are big and white like moon, and bees hover around them. There is the great resplendent temple of Viṣṇu god which is visible from all the three Lokas and is respected by all. There is a region, ninety miles long and thirty Yojanas broad between the great mountains named Kṛṣṇa and Pāṇdura where one smooth stone is stretching from one end to the other. There are no trees and creepers. There is a great facility for walking because the surface is nowhere uneven. In its midst there is a tank abounding in lily flowers.