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The Geographical Dictionary of Ancient and Mediaeval India c5.s13: Y

The Geographical Dictionary of Ancient and Mediaeval India c5.s13

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English

Y

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Yādava-Giri—Mailkote or Melukote, in Mysore, 25 miles to the north of Seringapatam, where Vetāladeva Ballāla-rāi, a Jaina king of Karṇāṭa or properly Dvārasamudra in Mysore, who was afterwards called Vishṇuvarddhana, erected a temple of Kṛishṇa known by the name of Chawalrāi in the twelfth century, after he was converted to Vaishnavism by Rāmānuja (A. K. Dutt’s *Religious Sects of the Hindoos* and Dr. Burnell’s *South Indian Palaeography*, p. 28). Same as Dakshiṇa-Badarikāśrama.

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Yajña-Barāha—A celebrated temple of Barāhadeva in Yajñapura or Jājpur in Orissa.

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Yajñapura—Jājpur in Orissa on the river Baitaraṇī (*Mahābhārata*, Vana, ch. 114). It is said to have been founded by Rājā Yayāti Keśarī in the sixth century. Jājpur is a contraction of Yayātipura. It was the capital of the Keśarī kings till the tenth century, when the seat of government was removed to Kaṭak by Nṛipa Keśarī. The temple of Birajā at Jājpur is one of the fifty-two Pīṭhas where a part of Sati’s body is said to have fallen. Brahma is said to have celebrated the horse-sacrifice ten times at Daśāśvamedha Ghāṭ on the bank of the Baitaraṇī river, and hence the place obtained the name of Yajñapura. The four most important places of pilgrimage in the province of Orissa are Chakra-kshetra or Bhuvanéśvara, Śaṅkha-kshetra or Purī, Padma-kshetra or Koṇārak and Gadā-kshetra or Yājapura. Vishṇu, in order to commemorate his victory over Gayāsura, (the story of the demon being an allegorical representation of the extent of Buddhism in India), left his foot-mark (*Pāda*) at Gaya, his discus (*chakra*) at Bhuvanéśvara, his conch-shell (*Śaṅkha*) at Purī and his lotus (*Padma*) at Koṇārak (Dr. R. Mitra’s *Antiquities of Orissa*, vol. II, pp. 145 and 107; but see Stirling’s *Orissa*). There are many colossal images at Jājpur, especially of Kālī, Barāhīnī and Indrāṇī cut into alto-relievo out of blocks of indurated Mugni or chlorite slate rock (Stirling’s *Orissa*; *JASB.*, 1838, p. 53). See Gayānābhi.

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Yamunâ—The river Yamunâ; it is mentioned in the *Rig-Veda* and the *Aitareya Brâhmana* (VIII, 14, 4; *Rig-Veda*, X, 75).

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Yâmuna—The portion of the Bândara-puchchha mountain where the Yamunâ has got its source (*Râmâyana*, Kish., ch. 40; *Mbh.*, Anusâs., ch. 68). It is also called Kâlinda-giri on account of which the Yamunâ is called Kâlindi.

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Yamunâprabhava—See Yamunotri (*Kurma P.*, II, ch. 37).

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Yamunotri—A spot in the Bândara-puchchha (monkey's tail) mountain in the Himalaya where the river Yamunâ has its source; it is called Yâmuna and also Kâlinda-giri in the *Râmâyana* (Kish., 40). It has reference solely to the sacred spot where the worship of the goddess Yamunâ is performed. The Yamunâ rises from several hot-springs, and the spot for bathing is at the point where the cold and warm waters mingle and form a pool (see Kulinda-desa). The water of the springs is so hot that rice may be boiled in it. Hanumâna, after setting fire to Lankâ, is said to have extinguished the fire of his tail by plunging it into a lake enclosed by the four highest peaks of this range, which has since been called Bândara-puchchha mountain (*Fraser's Himala Mountains*, ch. 26).

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Yashtivana—Jethian, about two miles north of Tapoban near Supa-tîrtha in the district of Gayâ (Grierson, *Notes on the District of Gayâ*, p. 49) and twelve miles from Râjagriha. It is also called Jaktiban (Cunningham, *Arch. S. Rep.*, III, p. 140) and Latthivana. Buddha is said to have displayed many miracles here and converted Bimbisâra, king of Magadha, to Buddhism at this place. Bimbisâra ascended the throne at the age of sixteen; at the age of twenty-nine he became a convert to Buddhism and he died at the age of sixty-five.

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Yaudheya—Same as Ayudha of the travellers of the sixteenth century and *Hud* of the Bible (*Book of Esther*), between the Hydaspes and the Indus (*Garuda Purâna*, ch. 55; *Brihat-samhitâ*, ch. 14; and Prinsep's *Indian Antiquities*, vol. I, p. 238). According to Cunningham the Yaudheyas lived on both banks of the Sutlej along the Bhawalpur frontier, which is called Johiyabâr (*Arch. S. Rep.*, vol. XIV). Yaudheya is mentioned in Samudra Gupta's inscription in the Allahabad Pillar (*JASB.*, 1837, pp. 973-979).

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Yava-Dvipa—The island of Java (*Brahmânda P.*, Pûrva, ch. 51). It is said to have been colonised by a prince of Guzerat in 603 A.D. The native chronicles attribute the first attempt at colonisation of the island to Aji-saka, a king of Guzerat in 75 A.D.; he was, however, compelled to withdraw owing to pestilence or some other calamity (Havell's *Indian Sculpture and Painting*). It was also called Suvarna-dvîpa of Alberuni's Zabaj be Java (*Alberuni's India*, vol. 1, p. 210). According to the Chinese, Java was also called Kalinga (Takakusu's *Records of the Buddhist Religion, General Introduction*, p. xlvii, note). The shrine of Borobudur (Barz Buddha), the most magnificent monument of Buddhist art in Asia, was constructed between 750 and 800 A.D. (Havell's *Indian Sculpture and Painting*, p. 113; *JASB.*, 1862, p. 16).

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Yavana-Nagara—Junagad, in Guzerat. For a description of the place, see *Notes on a Journey to Girnar* in *JASB.*, 1838, p. 871. See Yavanapura. For the origin of the name of Junagad, see *Bomb. Gaz.*, VIII, pp. 487 f.

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Yavana-Pura—1. Jaunpura, forty miles from Benares, the capital of an independent Muhammadan kingdom (see the Kathoutiya inscription in *JASB.*, 1839, p. 696, v. 7). It contains the celebrated Atalâ mosque built by Sultan Ibrahim in 1418 on the site with the materials of an ancient Buddhist monastery; the Lâl-darwazâ mosque built by Bibi Raji, the queen of Sultan Mahmud in 1480; the Jumma Masjid built by Sultan Hossain about 1480; the remains of a fort called the fort of Firoz built in 1360; and an old bridge over the Gumti constructed by Monahur Khan, the governor of Jaunpur, during the reign of Akbar. Jaunpur is said to have been founded in the fourteenth century by Sultan Feroz of Delhi, who named it after his cousin Fakiruddin Jowna. In the fifteenth century Khan Jahan, vizier of Sultan Mahommed Shah of Delhi, during the minority of the latter's son, assumed the title of Sultan Sharki or king of the East, and taking possession of Bihar, fixed his residence at Jaunpur (Hamilton's *East India Gazetteer*). Jaunpore became the centre of learning at the time of Ibrahim Sharki ; and Sher Shah received his education in one of its colleges. 2. Another Yavanapura is mentioned in the *Mahâbhârata* (Sabhâ P., ch. 30) as being situated on the south of Indraprastha and conquered by Sahadeva. Perhaps it is the same as Yavana-nagara or Junagaḍ.

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Yayâtinagara—According to Dr. Fleet Yayâtinagara is the ancient name of Kaṭaka in Orissa (*Ep. Ind.*, vol. III, pp. 323-359; *JASB.*, 1905, p. 7 ; *Pavanadûta*, v. 26).

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Yayâtipura—1. Jajmau, three miles from Cawnpore, where the ruins of a fort are pointed out as the remains of the fort of Râjâ Yayâti (see Śâkambharî). But the fort is said to have been built by Râjâ Jijat Chandravamsi, one of the ancestors of the Chandels. The temple of Siddhinâtha Mahâdeva is at a short distance from the fort. It was an important place in the tenth or eleventh century before Cawnpore became celebrated as a town (Alberuni's *India*, Dr. Sachau's trans., vol. 1, p. 200). 2. Jâjpur in Orissa. See Yajñapura ; same as Yayâtipura.

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Yessaval—Ahmedabad was founded on the site of the ancient city of Yessaval by Ahmed Shah of Guzerat in 1412 (Thornton's *Gazetteer*). Yessaval is a corruption of Âsâwal or ancient Âsapalli (*Antiquities of Kathiawad and Kachh*, by Burgess ; *Bomb. Gaz.*, I, pt. I, p. 170). Ahmedabad was also formerly called Karṇavatî (Fergusson's *Hist. of Indian and Eastern Architecture*, p. 527).

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Yoni-dvâra—A sacred place in the Brahma-yoni hill at Gaya, from which the name of the hill is derived (*Padma P.*, Svarga, ch. 19).

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Yoni-Tirtha—Same as Bhîmâsthâna.

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Yugandhara—A country near Kurukshetra (*Mbh.*, Virâṭ, ch. 1). It appears to have been situated on the west bank of the Yamunâ and south of Kurukshetra (*Ibid.*, Vana, ch. 128).

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Yuktaveni—See Muktaveni.

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