Cosmography and Geography in Early Indian Literature c7.s3: 3. Puranic List of Rivers

Cosmography and Geography in Early Indian Literature c7.s3

Language: English

3. Puranic List of Rivers

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¹⁰ Sircar, Stud. Geog. Anc. Med. Ind., pp. 39ff.

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The Purāṇas enumerate the rivers rising from eight mountain ranges, viz. the Varṣaparvata Himavat and the seven Kula mountains mentioned above.

1. Gaṅgā—see our list of the Ṛgvedic rivers.
2. Sindhu—also mentioned in our list of the Ṛgvedic rivers.
3. Sarasvatī—see our list of the Ṛgvedic rivers.
4. Śatadru—same as Śutudrī of the Ṛgveda (cf. our list of the Ṛgvedic rivers).
5. Candrabhāgā—same as Asiknī of the Ṛgveda (see our list of the Ṛgvedic rivers).

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6. Yamunā—see our list of the Ṛgvedic rivers.

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7. Sarayū—also mentioned in our list of the Ṛgvedic rivers (s. v. Sarayu).

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8. Irāvatī—same as the Paruṣṇī, mentioned in our list of the Ṛgvedic rivers.

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9. Vitastā—see our list of the Ṛgvedic rivers.

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10. Vipāśā—same as the Vipāś, mentioned in our list of the Ṛgvedic rivers.

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11. Devikā—modern Deeg, a tributary of the Irāvatī or Rāvi.

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12. Kuhu—same as the Kubhā mentioned in our list of the Ṛgvedic rivers.

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13. Gomati—same as the Ṛgvedic Gomatī (modern Gomal, a western tributary of the Indus) or the modern Goomti which joins the Gaṅges below Vārāṇasi

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14. Dhūtapāpā—a tributary of the Ganges in the Vārāṇasi region ; often associated with Ahopap on the Goomti, 18 miles south-west of Sultanpur in U.P.

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15. Bāhudā—identified by some with the Dhavalā (modern Dhumelā or Buṛhī-Rāptī), a tributary of the Rāptī, and by others with the Rāmgaṅgā which joins the Ganges near Kanauj.

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16. Dṛṣadvati—mentioned in our list of the Ṛgvedic rivers.

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17. Kauśiki—modern Kosī which runs through Nepal and Tirhut and joins the Ganges now below Patna, though, in early times, the river probably flowed through North Bengal and joined the Brahmaputra.

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18. Tṛtiyā—a mistake for Karatoyā or Trisrotā according to Pargiter, both of them being rivers of North Bengal ; may be really a mistake for Karatoyā.

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19. Niścīrā—may be a mistake for Trisrotā, modern Teesta running through North Bengal.

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20. Gaṇḍaki—modern Gaṇḍak (Buṛhī-Gaṇḍak), joining the Ganges near Sonepur or Hariharakṣetra (opposite Patna) in the Muzaffarpur District of Bihar ; another smaller river of the same name runs through Nepal and the Gorakhpur and Saran Districts and falls into the Ghogra (which joins the Ganges at Chapra), while a third Gaṇḍak is a small tributary of the Bāgmatī (tributary of the Buṛhī-Gaṇḍak).

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21. Ikṣu—same as Ikṣumatī, modern Kālī-nadī joining the Ganges near Kanauj in the Farrukhabad District of U.P.

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22. Lauhitya—modern Brahmaputra, the name being still borne by its branch and tributary known as the Lohit in the Sibsagar and Lakhimpur Districts of Assam. The Brahmaputra flows through Tibet and Assam and joins the Padmā (the main course of the Ganges in Bengal) at Goalundo in the Faridpur District of East Pakistan, its lower course being known as the Meghnā.

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II. Pāriyātra—

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1. Vedasmṛti—identified with modern Besulā in Malwa.
2. Vedavati.
3. Vṛtraghni—also spelt Vrataghni, modern Vātrak, a tributary of the Sābarmatī in Gujarat.
4. Sindhu—modern Kālīsindh, a tributary of the Chambal (ancient Carmaṇvatī) ; it flows through Rajasthan and Malwa.
5. Parṇāśā—modern Banās, tributary of the Chambal ; it flows through the Udaipur and Tonk regions of Rajasthan.
6. Candanā—identified with the Sābarmatī.
7. Sadānīrā.
8. Mahī—rises in Malwa and drains itself into the Gulf of Cambay.
9. Pārā—identified with the Pārvatī which rises in the Bhopal region and falls into the Chambal.
10. Lupī (with variant readings).
11. Vidiśā—modern Bes or Besalī which falls into the Betwa near Besnagar (ancient Vidiśānagarī) and Bhilsa in Madhya Pradesh.
12. Vetravatī—modern Betwa joining the Jumna (Yamunā) near Hamirpur, U.P.
13. Siprā—rises from the northern side of the Vindhyan range in Malwa, passes by the city of Ujjayinī and falls into the Chambal.
14. Avantī—rises near Mhow and falls into the Chambal.
15. Kuntī—identified with the Aśva-nadī or Aśvaratha-nadī which is a small tributary of the Chambal.

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III. Ṛkṣavat—

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1. Śoṇa—modern Sone which rises in the Amarkantak range and falls into the Ganges near Pāṭnā in Bihar.
2. Mahānadī—rises from the Raigarh region of Madhya Pradesh and runs through Orissa to fall into the Bay of Bengal.
3. Narmadā—modern Narbadā which rises in the Amarkantak range and falls into the Gulf of Cambay near Broach (ancient Bhṛgukaccha).
4. Surasā.
5. Kriyā.

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6. Mandākini—modern Mandākin which flows into the Paisuni near the Citrakūṭa hill.
7. Daśārṇā—modern Dhasān which flows past Saugor and falls into the Betwa.
8. Citrakūṭā—probably a portion of the Mandākin falling into the Paisuni near the Citrakūṭa hill.
9. Tamasā—modern Tons flowing into the Ganges below Allahabad.
10. Pippalaśroṇi—modern Paisuni or Parsaroni which flows into the Jumna (Yamunā) between the Tons and the Ken.
11. Karamodā—identified with modern Karamnāśā falling into the Ganges above its junction with the Sone.
12. Piśācikā.
13. Citrotpalā—a tributary of the Mahānadi or identical with a part of the Mahānadi below its junction with the Pyri ; cf. the Mahada plates.
14. Vipāśā.
15. Mañjulā, Vañjulā or Jambulā.
16. Bāluvāhini. 17-18. Śuni and Lajjā (with variant readings).
19. Śuktimati—modern Ken which flows through Bundelkhand and falls into the Jumna (Yamunā).
20. Śakuli—modern Sakri which flows into the Seonath, a tributary of the Mahānadi,
21. Tridivā.
22. Krumu (with variant readings).

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IV. Vindhya—

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1. Tāpi—now called Tāpti which rises near Multai in the Betul District, Madhya Pradesh, and flows into the Gulf of Cambay near Surat.
2. Payoṣṇi—identified with the Pain or Paingaṅgā which is a tributary of the Godāvari.
3. Nirvindhyā—modern Newuj which flows between the Betwa and the Kālisindh and falls into the Chambal.
4. Niṣadhāvati (with variant readings).
5. Veṇvā—identified with the Waingaṅgā which joins the Prāṇhitā (Praṇitā of a medieval inscription from Manthani) and falls into the Godāvari.

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6. Vaitaraṇī—modern Baitaraṇī in Orissa, which falls into the Bay of Bengal.
7. Śinivālī.
8. Kumudvatī.
9. Brahmāṇī—modern Brāhmaṇī which is the combined course of the Southern Koel and the Sankh in Orissa and falls into the Bay of Bengal.
10. Mahāgaurī.
11. Durgā.
12. Antaḥśilā.

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V. Sahya—

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1. Godāvarī—rises from the Western Ghāṭs and flows through the Deccan into the Bay of Bengal.
2. Bhīmarathi—modern Bhīmā, a tributary of the Kṛṣṇā.
3. Kṛṣṇā—flows from the Western Ghāṭs through the Deccan into the Bay of Bengal.
4. Veṇvā—modern Varṇā which runs between the Satara and Kolhapur Districts and joins the Kṛṣṇā, the combined stream being often called Kṛṣṇaveṇvā or Kṛṣṇaveṇā.
5. Vañjulā—modern Mañjirā, a southern tributary of the Godāvarī.
6. Tuṅgabhadrā—the combined course of the Tuṅgā and Bhadrā rivers which rise from the hills bordering South Kanara and join each other in the Shimoga District of Mysore, the joint stream falling into the Kṛṣṇā in the Karnul District of Andhra Pradesh.
7. Suprayoga—same as Suprayoga mentioned in the Uruvupalli grant of the Pallava crown-prince Viṣṇugopavarman as a river in the Nellore-Guntur region.
8. Bāhyā.
9. Kāverī—flows through Coorg, South Mysore and the Coimbatore, Salem, Tiruchirapalli and Tanjavur Districts of Madras into the Bay of Bengal.

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VI. Malaya—

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1. Kṛtamālā—modern Vaigai running past Madurai. The Bengali Vaiṣṇava saint Caitanya took a ceremonial bath in the holy waters of the Kṛtamālā at Dakṣiṇa-Mathurā (i.e. Madurai).
2. Tāmraparṇi—modern Tāmbravari which combines its stream with the Chittar in the Tirunelveli District
3. Puṣpajā.
4. Utpalāvati.

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VII. Mahendra—

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1. Trisāmā or Tribhāgā.
2. Ṛṣikulyā—flows into the Bay of Bengal near Berhampore in the Ganjam District of Orissa.
3. Ikṣulā.
4. Tridivā.
5. Lāṅgalini—modern Lāṅguliyā flowing into the Bay of Bengal by Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh.
6. Vamśadharā—modern Vamśadhārā which flows into the Bay of Bengal by Kalingapatnam near Srikakulam.

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VIII. Śuktimat—

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1. Ṛṣikulyā—modern Koel in Chota Nagpur, the Northern Koel falling into the Sone and the Southern Koel uniting with the Sankh and forming the Brāhmaṇi river.
2. Kumāri—flows through the Manbhum District of Bihar.
3. Mandagā.
4. Mandavahini.
5. Kūpā—modern Kopā, a tributary of the Bāblā or Dwarka which waters the Santal Parganas, Birbhum and Murshidabad Districts of Bihar and West Bengal.

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In this connection, reference may be made to the Puranic description of the seven streams of the Ganges all starting from the Bindu-sarovara in the Himalayas, of which the Nalini, Hlādini and Pāvani are said to be flowing towards the east, the Sitā, Cakṣu and Sindhu towards the west and the Bhāgirathi towards the south, all the seven watering the varṣa called Hima (i.e. Bhārata-varṣa). Although the order of the names of the three rivers running towards the east is not the same in the different Purāṇas, the description is interesting for the list of peoples through whose lands the rivers are said to have passed. Some of the peoples mentioned in this context are known from other sections of the Purāṇas, though their location is only vaguely suggested by the direction of the course of the streams in question. The seven lists of the peoples are quoted below.¹¹

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¹¹ Sircar, Stud. Geog. Anc. Med. Ind., pp. 57ff.

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I. *Sītā (identified with the Tagdumbash branch of the Yarkand river)*—

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1. Sirīndhra, 2. Kukura, 3. Cīna, 4. Varvara, 5. Yavana, 6. Śaka, 7. Ruṣāṇa (people of Roshan in the Tadzdik Republic), 8. Kuṇinda, and 9. Aṅgalokavara.

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II. *Cakṣu (same as Vaṃkṣu or the Oxus)*—

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1. Cīna-maru, 2. Taṅgana, 3. Sarva-sūlika (or, Sarva and Sūlika), 4. Sādhra or Adhra, 5. Tuṣāra, 6. Lampāka, 7. Pahlava, 8. Pārada, and 9. Śaka.

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III. *Sindu (the Indus)*—

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1. Darada, 2. Kāśmīra, 3. Gandhāra, 4. Aurasa (people of Urasā or the present Hazara District of West-Pakistan), 5. Kuhu, 6. Śivapaura, 7. Indrahāsa or Indra-maru, 8. Vasāti, 9. Visarjaya, 10. Saindhava, 11. Randhrakaraka (probably the same as the Ruddhakaṭaṭa mentioned elsewhere), 12. Bhramara, 13. Ābhīra, 14. Romaka (people of Rumā near the Salt Range), 15. Śunāmukha, and 16. Ūrdhvamaru.

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IV. *Bhāgīrathī or Gaṅgā (the Ganges)*—

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1. Gandharva, 2. Kinnara, 3. Yakṣa, 4. Rakṣas, 5. Vidyādhara, 6. Uraga (Nāga), 7. Kalāpagrāmaka, 8. Kimpuruṣa, 9. Khasa, 10. Kirāta (mountaineers according to Al-Bīrūnī), 11. Pulinda (explained by Al-Bīrūnī as hunters of the plains, who were robbers), 12. Kuru, 13. Bharata, 14. Pañcāla, 15. Kāśī, 6. Matsya (mistake for Vatsa), 17. Magadha, 18. Aṅga, 19. Brahmottara, 20. Vaṅga, and 21. Tāmralipta.

Linked texts (1)

Ṛgvedasaṃhitā — Sanskrit