Prakrit Proper Names (Agamic Index I) v2.c8.s2.50

v2.c8.s2.50

3. Maṃdara A mountain,¹ being the prominent one.² It is situated in the centre of Jaṃbuddīva.³ It lies to the south of Uttarakuru,⁴ to the north of Devakuru, to the east of Avaravideha and to the west of Puvvavideha.⁵ It is ninetynine thousand yojanas high and one thousand yojanas deep.⁶ Its breadth and perimeter⁷ at the underground base, the surface and in the middle measure 10090 1/4 and 31910 1/4, 10000⁸ and 31623⁹, and 1000 and somewhat more than 3162 yojanas respectively.¹⁰ The top base is 100 yojanas¹¹ while the central peak above it has the base measuring twelve yojanas broad.¹² The whole mountain resembles the shape of a cow's tail. It is surrounded at its surface-level by a raised ground (pavilion), called paumavaraveiyā and a grove. There are four other groves on the mountain upwards. They are Bhaddasālavaṇa, Naṃdaṇavaṇa(1), Somaṇasavaṇa and Paṃḍagavaṇa.¹³ There are several siddhāyatanas, peaks and ponds situated on this mountain.¹⁴ It consists of three vertical layers which are composed of different materials. They measure one thousand, sixty-three thousand, and thirty-six thousand yojanas¹⁵ respectively. The first layer is composed of earth, stones, diamonds and gravel, the second one of aṃka and crystal gems, gold and silver and the last one of red gold only.¹⁶ It is called Maṃdara because its presiding god bears the same name.¹⁷ This mountain has sixteen names : (1) Maṃdara, (2) Meru, (3) Maṇorama(2), (4) Sudamsaṇa(15), (5) Sayaṃpabha(4), (6) Girirāya, (7) Rayaṇoccaya, (8) Siloccaya, (9) Logamajjha, (10) Logaṇābhi, (11) Accha(1), (12) Sūriāvatta, (13) Sūriāvaraṇa, (14) Uttama, (15) Disādi and (16) Vaḍeṃsaa.¹⁸ It has some more names like Piyadaṃsaṇa(3), Uttara(3),¹⁹ Dharaṇikhila, Dharaṇisiṃga, Pavvattiṃda, Pavvayarāya,²⁰ Kaṇagagiri²¹ etc. The distance from the western end of Mamdara to the western and the eastern ends of mount Gothūbha and to the western end of the Goyama(5) island measures 97000, 98000 and 69000 yojanas respectively.²² The Joisa gods revolve at a minimum distance of 1121 yojanas from mount Mamdara.²³ The nearest and the farthest sūramaṇḍalas (the distance at which the suns of Jambuddīva revolve around this mountain) lie at a distance of 44820 and 45330 yojanas respectively.²⁴ Celestial lords bring the new-born Jinas (Titthaṃkaras) to the mountain and perform their ablution ceremony.²⁵ There are similar Mamdara mountains in some of the other concentric islands but their height is eighty-four yojanas only.²⁶