Historical Geography of Ancient India c6.580

c6.580

In the Varāhapurāṇa (Ch. 3), the Nepal Valley originally consisted of a lake called Nāga Bāsa. It was 14 miles in length and 4 miles in breadth (cf. N. L. Dey, Geographical Dictionary, p. 140). The temple of Paśupatinātha or Paśupati in Mṛgasthala in Nepal is one of the celebrated Hindu temples situated on the western bank of the Bāgmatī river in the town of Devipatan founded by Aśoka's daughter Cārumatī, about three miles north-west of Katmandu. On the eastern bank of the river fronting the temple there is a hill covered with lofty trees and jungles.