Cosmography and Geography in Early Indian Literature c8.s5.8

c8.s5.8

The conception of the Cakravarti-kṣetra is noticed in numerous inscriptions. Among early records of this type, mention may be made of the Meharauli pillar inscription²³ of Candra (Candragupta II, 376-413 A.D.) and the Mandasor pillar inscription²⁴ of Yaśodharman Viṣṇuvardhana (c. 520-40 A.D.). The military exploits of Candra are said to have covered the land bounded by the territory of the Vaṅgas in the east, the seven mouths of the Sindhu in the west, the country of the Vāhlikas in the north and the Southern (Indian) Ocean in the south, while Yaśodharman is said to have been ruling over the area bounded in the east, south, north and west respectively by the Lauhitya (Brahmaputra), the Mahendra (in this case, particularly the Mahendragiri in the Tirunelveli District, Madras), the Tuhinaśikharin (Himālaya) and the Western Ocean (Arabian Sea). These are of course conventional claims having really no historical basis.²⁵