A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History, and Literature c5.651

c5.651

HASTINĀ-PURA. The capital city of the Kauravas, for which the great war of the Mahā-bhārata was waged. It was founded by Hastin, son of the first Bharata, and hence, as some say, its name; but the Mahā-bhārata and the Vishnu Purāna call it the “elephant city,” from hastin, an elephant. The ruins are traceable near an old bed of the Ganges, about 57 miles N.E. of Delhi, and local tradition has preserved the name. It is said to have been washed away by the Ganges.