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115
Dynastic Lists and Genealogical Accounts
of cities, towns and capitals of ancient India were carved out by Lord Rsabha Ikṣvāku, who apportioned them hundred sons to govern
to his
Under the circumstances we are constrained to believe that the countries as well as their capitals must have derived their names from Rşabhadeva's hundred sons, who were, according to these sources, first rulers of those kingdoms, and as such one of them must have had the name Kuru after whom the country allotted to his share might have been so named. The Brahmanical epics and Puranas are full of references which unmistakably show that the newly carved out kingdoms and capitals etc often bear the names of their founders125 whether real or eponymous Historical evidences also bear testimony to the fact that in the newly discovered and inhabited regions it is the discoverers, founders, rulers and other celebrated personages who give their names to those places 128 Thus, the representation of Bharata's brothers as rulers of Kuru(ksetra) and Kurujangala obviously contradicts the delineation of Somaprabha (though reported to have the title of Kururāja) and Śreyāmsa as kings of Kurujangala, for we have
Karnata, (xxx111) Kosala, (xxxiv) Cola, (xxxv) Kerala (xxxvi) Dāru, (xxxvn) Abhisāra, (xxxvin) Sauvīra, (xxxix) Śūrasena, (x1) Aparāntaka, (xlı) Videha, (xl11) Sindhu, (xl111) Gandhāra, (xliv) Tavana, (alv) Cedi, (xl1) Pallava, (xlvin) Aratta, (xlıx) Bählika, (1) Turuşka, (11) Śara and (11) Kekaya
The list recurring in Puşpedanta's Mokāpurāru (V 20 5-10) is shorter than those in the preceding works and, is different from the same with regard to the names of countries as well
125 Such as Pandya, Kerala, Kola, and Cola, all named after the descendants of Puru, bearing those names,-Vayu 99 5-6, HV 1 33 122-13, Matsya, 48 45, Similarly, Gandhara is said to have derived its name from a descendant of Druhyu, Vayu 99 9, HV 133 26, Matsya 487, for Uthala, Vayu P 85,19, HV 10 10, Marka P 111 15, Vis P 41 12-13, for Mithilā, Vāyu 89 5 6, for Anarta, Sauvira, Madraha, Kekaya, Anga, Vanga, Suhma and Kalinga, Vayu 86 24, 99 23-34, 27-28, HV 13 31f, 31 29-30, 33-34, Matsya 12 22, 48 19-20, 25, for Srāvasti Vayu, 88 27, Matsya 12 30, HV 11 22, for Hastinapura, Vāzu 99 185ff, Matsya 29 42, MB 195 3t, for Varsāli, Vayu 86 17, Bḍ II1 61 12, Vis IV 1 18
128 Pargiter, op at p 137,
