Historical Geography of Ancient India c8.322

c8.322

Mandāra hills.—The Kālikā Purāṇa mentions this parvata (Ch. 13. 23). It is situated in the Baṅkā sub-division of the district of Bhāgalpur, 30 miles to the south of Bhāgalpur, and three miles to the north of Bansi. This hill is about 700 feet high. The oldest buildings are the two temples, now in ruins. The Sitākund tank is the largest, 100 feet long by 500 feet wide. According to Fleet it is situated about 35 miles south of Bhāgalpur (C.I.I., 211; A.S.R., VIII, 130). It is known to Megasthenes and Arrian as Mallus. It is an isolated hill on the top of which stands a Hindu temple. There are also ruins of Buddhist temples and images (Bhāgalpur by Byrne, B. D. Gazetteers, pp. 162, 163, 169). A detailed description of this hill is given in Ch. II (pp. 31ff.) of Bhāgalpur by Byrne.