Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India c16.14

Language: English

c16.14

The suggestion that the country watered by the Beas was called Vāhlika or Bāhlika is however certainly wrong. Numerous passages can be quoted from the epic, Puranic and classical Sanskrit literature to prove that the Punjab=Pañcanada, 'the land of the Five Rivers' (one of the five being the Beas), was in ancient times called the Vāhika country, and there is absolutely no doubt that the reading *Vālhikān* in the passage quoted from the *Rāmāyaṇa* is a mistake for *Vāhikān*. A flood of light on the ancient Vāhika country and its people is thrown by several chapters of the Karṇaparvan of the *Mahābhārata*. We have therein (Ch. 44) the following verses regarding the geography of this country :

Previous: c16.13
Next: c16.15
Up: c16