Historical Geography of Ancient India c9.234

c9.234

Śūdra country.—According to the *Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa* (Ch. 57, 35) the country of the Śūdras may be located in the Aparānta region or western country. According to the *Mahābhārata* (IX, 37, 1) the Śūdras lived in the region where the river Sarasvatī vanished into the desert, i.e., Vinaśana in Western Rajputana (*Śūdrabhirān prati dveṣād yatra naṣṭā Sarasvatī*). Opinions differ as to the exact location of their territory. For further details vide B. C. Law, *Indological Studies*, Pt. I, p. 34.