The Geography of the Puranas c8.3

c8.3

(i) The authors of the Purāṇas believed that rivers originate in lakes, so each river has, in their accounts, invariably a lake visible or invisible (underground) as its source. This lake, in its turn, lies at the foot of a mountain and collects the rain or glacial water which runs down its slopes. Thus, as a rule, according to the Purāṇas, each river has a corresponding lake and an associated mountain.