Historical Geography of Ancient India c10.384

c10.384

Vidiśā or Vedisa (Skt. Vaidiśa, Vaidaśa) is the old name of Besnagar, a ruined city situated in the fork of the Bes or the Vedisa river and the Betwa (Vetravatī),³ in the kingdom of Bhopal, within two miles of Bhilsa. According to the *Purāṇas* Vaidiśa was situated on the banks of the river Vidiśā which took its rise from the Pāripātra mountain.⁴ The ancient city of Vidiśā, mentioned in the Luders’ List (Nos. 254, 273, 500, 521-24, 712, 780, 784, 813, 835 and 885), identified with Bhilsa in the Gwalior State, was situated at a distance of 26 miles north-east of Bhopal. It lay at a distance of fifty *yojanas*⁵ from Pāṭaliputra.⁶