Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India c17.7

c17.7

The evidence of the Purāṇas definitely locates the Kul-ācala or Kula-parvata (literally, a mountain associated with certain tribes) called Malaya, which was the source of the Tāmraparṇī and Kṛtamālā (Vaigai) rivers running through the Pāṇḍya country, at the extreme southern end of the Western Ghats. The name of this mountain no doubt lies at the root of the names Malayāḷam and Malabar; but reference has been made to certain ‘conflicting evidences’ that would suggest the location of the Malaya elsewhere.¹