Historical Geography of Ancient India c9.238

c9.238

Surāṣṭra.—The Surāṣṭras were the famous people in Ancient India. The Surāṣṭra country (Pali Suraṭṭha, Chinese Su-la-cha) is mentioned in the *Rāmāyaṇa* (Ādikāṇḍa, Ch. XII; Ayodhyākāṇḍa X; Kiṣkindhyākāṇḍa, XLI) as well as in Patañjali’s *Mahābhāṣya* (1. 1. 1, p. 31). It is also mentioned in Luders’ List No. 965. It is also known as Suratha (Ibid., 1123). According to the *Padma Purāṇa* (190. 2) it is in Gurjara. The *Bhāgavata* Purāṇa mentions it as a country (I, 10. 34; I, 15. 39; VI, 14. 10; X, 27. 69; XI, 30. 18). It is also mentioned in the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (XIX, 19). Rājaśekhara in his Kāvyamīmāṃsā (Gaekwad Oriental Series, pp. 93-94) also assigns Surāṣṭra to the western division along with Bhṛgukaccha, Ānartta, Arbuda, Daśeraka and other countries. Surāṣṭra comprises modern Kāthiāwāḍ and other portions of Gujarat. According to the Kauṭilīya-Arthaśāstra (p. 50) the elephants of Saurāṣṭra were the most inferior as compared with those belonging to Aṅga and Kaliṅga. According to the Sarabhaṅga Jātaka (Jāt., V, 133), a stream called Sātodikā flowed along the borders of the Surāṣṭra country, and the sages were sent to dwell on its bank. A sage named Sālissara belonging to the Kaviṭṭhaka hermitage left it for the Suraṭṭha country where he dwelt with many sages on the bank of the river Sātodikā (Jātaka, III, p. 463). The prosperity of this town was due to trade (Apadāna, II, 359; Milinda, 331, 359; Jātaka, III, 463; V, 133). A king named Piṅgala ruled Surāṣṭra as a subordinate potentate under the Mauryas (Petavatthu, IV, 3; D. R. Bhandarkar Volume, 329ff.). The Jaina Dasaveyāliya Cūrṇi (I, p. 40) also refers to Suraṭṭha or Surāṣṭra which was a centre of trade in ancient times.