Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c7.83

c7.83

What is this Gandharvanagara? The following description occurs in Hindi Śabdasāgara. “Owing to different optical illusions (sight) of man, villages and cities may appear to exist in the sky and also on seas, rivers, etc. When during summer the air on the upper strata of deserts, seas etc. gets heated, expanded, and rises up, the light passing through it becomes multi-coloured and gives reflections in the sky in the form of village parts or cities. Also can be seen therein reflections of trees, boats etc. One such reflection may be cast on earth also. This is a mere optical illusion. This reflection immediately fades out also. This unreal city which is an optical illusion is Gandharvanagara.