Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India c7.s1.22

Language: English

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2. The following rivers are mentioned by Al-Bīrūnī (Sachau, *Alb. Ind.*, I, Ch. 25) as issuing from the Himavat: 1. Sindh (Sindhu or Indus) or the river of Vaihand (ancient Udabhāṇḍa or Udahāṇḍa, modern Und near Attock), 2. Biyatta (Vitastā) or Jailam (Jhelam), 3. Candrabhāgā or Candrāha, 4. Biyāha (Vipāśā) to the west (sic. east) of Lahore, 5. Irāvatī to the east (sic. west) of Lahore, 6. Śatadrudra or Śataldar (Śatadru or Satlaj), 7. Sarsat (Sarasvatī) flowing to the country of Sarsat (Sārasvata), 8. Jaun (Yamunā), 9. Gaṅgā, 10. Sarayū or Sarwa, 11. Devikā, 12. Kuhū, 13. Gomatī, 14. Dhūtapāpā, 15. Viśālā (cf. Mts c, supra, p. 41, note 2), 16. Bāhudāsa (sic. Bāhudā, with sa prefixed to the next name in the text consulted; cf. supra, p. 41, note 4), 17. Kauśikī, 18. Niścīrā, 19. Gaṇḍakī, 20. Lohitā, 21. Dṛṣadvatī. Other names of this list appear to have been wrongly taken mostly from that of the rivers issuing from the Pāriyātra (vide pp. 45-46). They are: 22. Tāmrā Aruṇā (Tāmravarṇā?), 23. Parṇāśā, 24. Vedasmṛti, 25. Vedāsinī or Vidāsinī (cf. infra, p. 45, note 1), 26. Candanā, 27. Kāwanā (same as Kawini, tributary of the Sarwa?), 28. Parā, 29. Carmaṇvatī, 30. Vidiśā, 31. Veṇumatī, 32. Śiprā that rises in the Pāriyātra and passes by Ujain (Ujjayinī), 33. Karatoyā, 34. Shmāhina (cf. infra, p. 45, note 4). Al-Bīrūnī further says (op. cit., pp. 259 ff.), "In the mountains bordering on the kingdom of Kāyabish (Kāpiśa), i.e.

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Kābul, rises a river which is called the Ghorvand on account of its many branches. It is joined by several affluents: 1. the river of the pass of Ghūzak; 2. the river of the gorge of Panchir (Panjshir falling into the Ghorvand), below the town of Parvān (about 8 miles to the north of Chārikar); 3-4. the river Sharvat and the river Sāva, which latter flows through the town of Lambagā (Lampāka), i.e. Lamghan; they join the Ghorvand at the fortress of Drūta; 5-6. the rivers Nūr and Kirāt.—Swelled by these affluents, the Ghorvand (Kābul) is a great river opposite the town of Purshā- var (modern Peshāwar) being there called the ford, from a ford near the village of Mahanāra on the eastern bank of the river, and it falls into the river Sindh (Indus) near the castle of Bītūr, below the capital of al-Kandahār (Gandhāra), i.e. Vaihand (Und near Attock).—The river Biyatta (Vitastā), known as Jailam (Jhelam), from the city of this name on its western bank, and the river Candarāha (Candrabhāgā) join each other nearly fifty miles above Jahrāvār (which together with Mūltān comprised the ancient Sauvīra country; cf. loc. cit., pp. 300, 302), and pass along west of Mūltān (which was originally known as Kaśyapapura, next as Haṃsapura, then as Vegapura, afterwards as Sāmbapura and ultimately as Mūlasthāna; cf. the views of Utpala; loc. cit., p.

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298).—The river Biyāh (Vipāśā) flows east of Mūltān, and joins afterwards the Biyatta (Vitastā) and Candarāha (Candrabhāgā).—The river Irāva (Irāvatī) is joined by the river Kaj which rises in Nagarkot in the mountains of Bhātul. Thereupon follows as the fifth, the river Śatladar (Śatadru).—After these five rivers have united below Mūltān at a place called Pañcanada, i.e. the meeting place of the five rivers, they form an enormous watercourse......The Muslims call the river, after it has passed the Sindhī city Aror, as a united stream, the river of Mihran. Thus it extends......enclosing in its course places like islands until it reaches al-Mansūra, situated between several of its arms, and flows into the ocean at two places, near the city of Loharānī, and more eastward in the province of Kacch at a place called Sindhusāgara, i.e. the Sindh Sea.—As the name union of five rivers (Pañcanada) occurs in this part of the world (the Punjab), we observe that a similar name is used also to the north of the above-mentioned mountain chains (i.e. the mountain bordering on the kingdom of Kāyabish), for the rivers which flow thence towards the north after having united near Tirmidh and having formed the river of Balkh, are called the union of seven rivers (cf. hapta-hindu of the ancient Iranians). The Zoroastrians of Sogdiana (Bukhara region) have confounded these two things; for they say that the whole of the seven rivers is Sindh, and its upper course Barīdish........

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The river Sarsati (Prabhāsa-Sarasvatī, mod. Raunakshi) falls into the sea at the distance of