Historical Geography of Ancient India c6.305

c6.305

In between Bhāratavarṣa and Harivarṣa are placed the Himalayan range and the Hemakūṭa, the former lying to the south of the latter. This is the setting of the countries and mountain ranges to be found in the Jaina text called the Jambudīvapaṇṇatti and the Great Epic, Mahābhārata. The Hemakūṭa region is also known as Kimpuruṣavarṣa and the Haimavata region as Kinnara-khaṇḍa. According to the southern Buddhist conception the Himalayan region extended to the north up to the Gandhamādana range, which is a part of the Rudra Himalaya, but the Epic writers take it as a part of the Kailāsa range. The Anotatta (Anavatapta) lake or the Mānasasarovara, which was one of the seven great lakes situated in the Himalaya mountain,⁶ was associated with the Kailāsa and Citrakūṭa peaks. The Jambudīvapaṇṇatti seems to be right in pointing out that there were two lakes each called Mahāpadmahrada, one connected with the Western Himalayan range (Kṣudra-Himavanta) and the other connected with the Eastern Himalayan range (Mahā-Himavanta). The Himalayan lake called the Chaddanta was 50 leagues long and 50 leagues broad. This lake contained white and red lotuses, red and white lilies and white esculent lilies.⁷ The Himalayan region had fair women who brought utter ruin on all that fell into their power.⁸