Tribes in Ancient India c77.105

c77.105

The name Suryārakas is a misreading for Sūrpārakas. The Sūrpāraka country was known from very early times, and is celebrated in the *Mahābhārata* in connection with the legend of Rāma Jāmadagnya.² There it is located in the western region, but some passages seem to locate it in the south as well.³ This does not mean that there were two Sūrpārakas. The reason for this anomaly seems to be clear, for the country was near the southern sea in the western region. According to the same Epic,⁴ it was situated on the sea near Prabhāsa, that is, modern Somnath in Kathiawar. The city of Sūrpāraka, identical with the modern town of Sopārā near Bassein, is said to have been founded by Rāma Jāmadagnya.⁵