Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c8.1410

c8.1410

2) Administration. Narakāsura made Prāgjyotiṣa his capital and ruled over the asuras as their emperor for a long time, all the while terrifying the devas. Once this asura raped Kaśerū the daughter of Tvaṣṭā. He brought sixteen thousand and one hundred maidens from the women of the earth and the world of gods. He made them captives at Audaka on the top of the mountain Maṇiparvata. He appointed four mighty and fearful asuras: Hayagrīva, Niṣunda, Pañcanada and Mura as gate-keepers of Prāgjyotiṣa. As they stood blocking the way up to Devayāna, nobody dared to enter Prāgjyotiṣa. The ten sons of Narakāsura guarded the harem. At the boundary of the country Murāsura had tied six thousand ropes with a sword at the end of each. So enemies dared not come near the boundary. When Sugrīva gave instructions to the monkeys who were sent in search of Sītā, about the route they were to follow, he had mentioned about the city of Prāgjyotiṣa. Mention is made in Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Kiṣkindhā Kāṇḍa, Sarga 42 that Sugrīva had given them special instructions to search for Sītā in Prāgjyotiṣa. (M.B. Viṣṇu Parva, Chapter 63).