Historical Geography of Ancient India c8.249

c8.249

*Karūṣa*.—According to the *Rāmāyaṇa* (Bālakāṇḍa, XXVII, 18-23), the country of the Karūṣas or Karūṣadeśa seems to have been situated in the Sahabad district (Bihar). The southern district of Sahabad between the rivers Son and Karmanāśā was called Karūṣadeśa (Martin, *Eastern India*, I, p. 405). This is supported by a modern local inscription discovered at Masār in the Sahabad district designating the territory as Karūṣadeśa (Cunningham, *A.S.R.*, III, 67-71). Vedagarbhapurī or modern Buxar is referred to in the *Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa* (Pūrvakhaṇḍa, Ch. 5) as being situated in Karūṣadeśa. The people of this country known as the Karūṣas fought with the Pāṇḍavas in the Kurukṣetra war. (Vide Udyoga, Bhīṣma and Droṇaparvans of the *Mahābhārata*). They may be identified with the Chrysei (M. V. St. Martin, *Etude sur la Geog: Grecque*, p. 199).