Historical Geography of Ancient India c9.81

c9.81

*Daṇḍaka forest*.—The Daṇḍaka forest (Daṇḍakāraṇya) which is celebrated in the *Rāmāyaṇa* (Ādik. Sarga i, v. 46) in connection with the story of Rāma's exile, seems to have covered almost the whole of Central India from the Bundelkhand region to the river Kṛṣṇā (*J.R.A.S.*, 1894, 241; cf. *Jātaka*, v. 29), but the *Mahābhārata* seems to limit the Daṇḍaka forest to the source of the Godāvarī (Sabhāparva, XXX, 1169; Vanaparva, LXXXV, 8183-4). According to the *Bhāgavata Purāṇa* (IX. 11. 19; X. 79. 20) this forest in the Deccan was traversed by Rāma and visited by Balarāma. The *Padma Purāṇa* (Ch. 21) mentions it among other holy places. In the heart of this forest there was a stream. There also existed a cave (*Daśakumāracaritam*, p. 20). This forest was also known as the Citrakuñjavat to the west of Janasthāna (*Uttaracaritām*, Act I. 30). The tracts of the Daṇḍaka forest had a jumble of watering places, hermitages, hills, streams, lakes, etc. (*Ibid.*, Act II. 14). Bāṇa refers to this forest in his *Harṣacarita* (Ch. 1). This forest is also mentioned in the *Milindapañha* (p. 130). The Jaina *Nisīthacūrṇī* has a peculiar story of the burning of this forest to ashes (16. 1113). The Daṇḍakāraṇya along the Vindhyas practically separated the Majjhimadesa from the Dakkhiṇāpatha.