Historical Geography of Ancient India c7.378

c7.378

Māhiṣmatī (Pali: Māhissati).—It is mentioned in the Sabhāparva of the Mahābhārata (XXX, 1025-63). Some say that it was situated about 40 miles to the south of Indore. It seems to have been situated on the right bank of the river Narmadā between the Vindhya and the Ṛkṣa and it can be safely identified with the modern Māndhātā region, where there was a river called the Māhiṣiki mentioned in the Rāmāyaṇa (Kiṣkindhyākāṇḍa, XLI, 16). According to the Harivaṃśa (XLV, 5218ff.), the founder of Māhiṣmatī seems to have been Mucukunda. Some consider Māhiṣmat to be its founder. According to the Purāṇas (Matsya P., XLIII, 10-29; XLIV, 36; Vāyu, 94, 26; 95, 35), Māhiṣmatī was founded by a prince of the Yadu lineage. The Bhāgavata Purāṇa refers to it as a city of the Haihayas (IX, 15, 26; IX, 16, 17; X, 79, 21). The Padma Purāṇa (183. 2) points out that Māhiṣmatī was situated on the river Narmadā. The Daśakumāracarita (p. 194) tells us that Queen Vasundharā and the royal children were conducted to this city and presented to Mitravarma. Bhandarkar says that Avantī-Dakṣiṇāpatha had Māhiṣmatī or Māhissati as its capital. The Purāṇas style the first dynasty of Māhiṣmatī as Haihaya (Matsya P., 43, 8-29; Vāyu P., 94, 5-26). The Mahābhārata distinguishes between Avantī and Māhiṣmatī (II, 31, 10). Patañjali’s Mahābhāṣya mentions Māhiṣmatī along with Vaidarbha and Kāñcīpura (IV. 1, 4th Āhnika).