Akhyanakmanikosha

Author(s): Nemichandrasuri, Punyavijay, Dalsukh Malvania, Vasudev S Agarwal
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 64

Geographical and Historical Data in AMKV.
the fund of words used by him. His beautiful descriptions of cities, forests, seasons, damsels, kings and queens, camps and caravans, festivals etc. are noteworthy. Some poetic acrobatics are shown in on pp. 296 ff. in the account of Praśnottara-gosthi-Pandita-gosthi. But the importance of this work as a source for cultural data is still greater. The desi words occurring in the text and various expressions etc. are especially useful to students of old Gujarati literature and culture, for it must be remembered that the AMKV. was composed at Dhavalakkapur (Dholkā ) in the reign of Siddharāja Jayasimha in samyat 1191 = 1135 A. D.
We must, therefore, make a brief survey of the cultural data available in the AMKV.
We might begin this brief outline of the cultural data available in the AMKV. with the Geographical and Historical Data. It may be noted at the outset that in the following notes it is the AMKV. of Amradeva that is under consideration and not the short text of the AMK., unless otherwise specified. References to pages in brackets are references from this work. Page references of proper names are generally not given as they are already available in Appendix 2, pp. 371 ff. of this edition.
The Jambūdvipa and Bharaha or Bhārata-Varsa are of course well-known. The text refers to Jauna-diva on p. 314, in the Yādava-ākhyānaka, and says that the sage Divāyaṇa (Dvaipāyaṇa ), son of Parasara was born there. According to Mahābhārata Adiparva, Krishna Dvaipayana, son of Parāśara was born in an island in the river Yamunā. The Jaina version of the destruction of Dvārakā is different from the Brahmanical version, and the Jauna-diva referred to here is difficult to identify, but since Hemacandra, in his account of burning of Dvārakā, given in Trişastišalákāpuruşacaritra, Parva 8, sarga 11, refers to Yamunā-Dvipa, it is safer to take our Jaunadiva as Jauņādiva (Yamunadvipa).
The Javana-diva, in Cărudatta's caritra in chp. 23, should, of course, refer to Yavana-dvipa or Tävá. Carudatta reaches this island in a boat from the port called Piyangu (Priyangu) which is the Priyangupattana also mentioned in the Vasudevahindi p. 145, where also Cärudatta is said to have reached Javaņa-diva. There it is expressly stated that from Piyangupațțaņa, he goes to Cīņațhāņa and thence to Suvarnabhumi. Travelling in the "Pattaņas" of east and west he reaches Kamalapura (Kamboja ), Javaņa-diva and Simhala. Priyangu or Priyangupattana, a fairly big, ancient famous port (called velāula in AMKV.) must have been in west or north Bengal and is referred to in the Irdă plates.
The Simhala-diva is of course modern Ceylon. Ratnadvipa (Rayaņadiva ) is also identified by Moti Chandra with Simhala-dvipa.' A Rayaņadiva is also referred to in Nāyadhammakahão, 1.9,* Nandisvaradvipa and Dhātaki-khanda. (Dhāyai-sanda) are probably mythical. They are referred to in Jaina cosmographical accounts, but it is difficult to identify them. Hamsadvipa (p. 58) from its context, should refer to Lanká (or an island nearby).
In the story of Abhaya and Ardrakakumāra, in all Jaina versions, we find reference to Addaya or Ārdraka-deśa. Looking to the fact that Abhaya was living at Rājagrha in Bihar and that Ardraka was in the midst of ocean, it is advisable to try to locate it with some island in the Bay of Bengal, probably it was the Andaman island. Uttarāpatha (p. 291 ) is a general term, referring to Northern India. Ghoraśiva, a mabávratika, says that he came from Sriparvatas and was going to Jalandhara in Uttarapatha. Jalandhara included the state of Cambā on the north, Mandi and Sukhet on the east and Satadru on the south-east. Of the other countries referred to in our text, Avanti, Malaya, Angă
1. History of Bengal, vol. I. pp. 32, 133–34. 2. Sărthväha (Hindi), p. 148. 3. For Nandiśvara, see, Trişaşatisalākāpuruşacarita, vol. I (G. O. S. no. LI, Baroda ), pp. 395 ff. 397. 4. For Dhataki-khanda, see, ibid., pp. 390, 398. 5. Sriparvata is Srisaila well known for Jyotirlinga Mallikarjuna; the lofty rock overhangs the river Krşņa in the
Kurnool district, also see, Law, B. C., Historical Geography of Ancient India, p. 189. 6. Yoginitantra, 1. 11, 2. 2., 2. 9., mentions it. See, Law, B. C., Historical Geography of Ancient India, p. 86.