Cosmography and Geography in Early Indian Literature c6.s2.15

c6.s2.15

The same conception of the four island continents around the Meru is found in the Purāṇas. According to this, the earth consists of four great dvipas resembling four petals of a lotus, the pericarp of which is represented by the Meru or Sumeru mountain which the Mahābhārata locates beyond the Himalayas near the Central Asian deserts.²² The said earth-lotus sprang from Viṣṇu's navel and the god Brahman appeard on it. Mount Meru is 84,000 yojanas high and has 16,000 yojanas under the surface of the earth. Its top surface has an expanse of 32,000 yojanas and is inhabited by the gods and other divine and semi-divine beings. On the east, south, west and north of Mount Meru are respectively the four countries called Bhadrāśva, Bhārata (or Jambu-dvīpa), Ketumāla and Uttara-Kuru (or Kuru) which are like the petals of the earth-lotus and measure 100,000 yojanas in length and 80,000 yojanas in breadth. They are beyond the circular area around Meru measuring 64,000 yojanas.²³