The Geography of the Puranas c8.83

c8.83

There can be two explanations of this description of the mysterious lake and both of them flow from the literal meaning of the words ‘Vindu Sarovara’—a collection of drops of water. Either it signifies a large snow-field, i.e., a basin full of snow (or in other words a ‘lake’ of ‘frozen particles of water’ or snow) or it refers to a large basin full of innumerable tiny lakes. If the former is correct then the golden-peaked mountain is the great Aling-Kangri range, which was probably known to the authors of the Purāṇas, and the Vindu-Sarovara refers to extensive snow-fields which probably in the past filled the basin between the Aling-Kangri and Kailāsa-Tanglha range. If the latter is correct, then the locations of Aling-Kangri and Kailāsa Tanglha remain the same and in place of the snow-field we have, as at present, the same basin dotted with innumerable small and large lakes between the two ranges mentioned above. In either case the Vindu-Sarovara of the Purāṇas coincides with the basin referred to above.