Historical Geography of Ancient India c6.233.3

c6.233.3

Some useful information is supplied by Arrian regarding the Ganges and its tributaries when he observes: ‘Megasthenes states that of the two (the Ganges and the Indus), the Ganges is much the larger. . . It receives, besides, the river Sonos and the Sittokatis and the Solomatis which are also navigable and also the Kondochates and the Sambos and the Magon and the Agoranis and the Omalis. Moreover there fall into it the Kommenases, a great river, and the Kakouthis and the Andomatis . . .’ (McCrindle, Ancient India, pp. 190-91). According to the Jambudīvapaṇṇatti the Ganges flows eastwards with 14,000 other streams joining it. The Great Epic traces the source of this stream to Bindusāra, while the Pali works to the southern face of the Anotatta lake. The Bhāgīrathigaṅgā comes to light in the Gaṅgotrī in the district of Garhwal. From Hardwar down to Bulandshahar the Ganges has a southerly course after which she flows in a south-easterly direction up to Allahabad where she is joined by the Yamunā. From Allahabad down to Rajmahal she has an easterly course. She enters Bengal below Rajmahal. From Hardwar to Allahabad she flows almost parallel to the Yamunā. The Mahābhārata (84. 29) refers to Saptagaṅgā. (For further details, vide Law, Rivers of India, 17ff.; Law, Geographical Essays, 84ff.)