India As Described In Early Texts Of Buddhism and Jainism

Author(s): Bimla Charn Law
Publisher: Bimlacharan Law

Page 19

GEOGRAPHY
11
The long description in the Pali commentaries 1 of the origin of five rivers, Gangā, Yamunā, Aciravatī, Sarabhū and Mahi from the Anotatta lake may be best summed up in the words of Dr. Malalasekera: the river which flows out through the south channel circles the lake three times under the name of Avattagangā, then as Kanhagangā flows straight for sixty, leagues along the surface of a rock, comos into violent contact with a vertical rock, and is. thrown upwards as a coluinn of water three gāvulas in circumference; this column, known as Alūsugangā, flows through the air for sixty lcaguos, falls on to the rock Tiyaggala, excavating it to a depth of fifty leagues, thus forming a lake which is called Tiyaggalapokkharaṇī; thon the river, under the name of Bahalagangā, flows through a chasm in the rock for sixty leagues, then under the name of Ummaggagangā, 2 through a tunnol for a further sixty leagues, and finally coming upon the oblique.rock Vijjha, divides into five streams forming the five rivers'.8
1 Papancasūdant, Sinhalese od., 11, p. 686; Manorathapurani, ü, pp. 759-60; Paramathajotika, II, pp. 437–9.
2 The Ajivikas cherished a tradition of seven Gangā which they know as Gargā, Mahāgaigā (perhaps, Gangā proper), Svādhinagangā, Mşdugangā, Lohitageiga (evidently Lauhitya or Brahmaputra), Avantigaögā (evidently Avanti), and Paramāvantigangā. Of Rockhill, Life of the Buddha, p. 268.
8 Malalasekera, op. cit., i, pp. 783-34.