Indian Antiquary Vol 52

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 489

MAR
127
MAT
Mârttanda-Bavan (Bhavana) or Martan or Matan, five miles to the north-east of Islama
nad in Kasmir. It is the birth-place of Vishnu Surya or the Sun (god). About one mile to the north-west of the temple lie the sacred springs of Mârttanda-tirtha and among them are the celebrated springs called Vimala and Kamala. The temple of Mârttanda is said to have been built by the Pandavas, but General Cunningham considers that it was built in 370 A.D. In the Rajatarangini it is called Simharotsika. For a description
of the temple, see Matan in Thornton's Gazetteer of Countries adjacent to India. Marttikâvata-There were a town and a country of this name. The country was also
called Salva (q.v.). The Brihat-samhita (ch. 16) places it in the north-western part of India. Its capital was Salvapura or Saubhanagara now called Alwar. According to Prof. Wilson, it was the country of the Bhojas by the side of the Parnaíà (Banas) river in Malwa (Vishnu P., pt. IV, ch. 13). It was situated near Kurukshetra (Mbh., Maushala, ch. 7). Marta, Merta, or Mairta in Marwar, 36 miles north-west of Ajmir and on the north-west of the Aravali mountain, was evidently the ancient town of Mårttikâvata. It contains many temples (Tavernier's Travels, Ball's ed., vol. I, p. 88). The country of Mårttikâvata therefore comprised portions of the territories of Jodhpur, Jaipur, and Alwar, as indicated by the identifications of its two principal cities Mârttikâvata (modern Marta) and Salvapura (modern Alwar). See Mfittikavati. Maru--Rajputana: an abode of death, i.e., a desert (Katyayana's Varttika; Kunte's
Vicissitudes of Aryan Civilization, p. 378). Same as Marustball and Marudhanva. Marubhumi-Same as Marusthali (Vishnu P., IV, 24 ; Wilson's translation, p. 474). Marudvfidha-1. The Chandrabhaga, the united stream of the Jhelum and the Chinab
(Ragozin's Vedic India, p. 451 and the Rig Veda, X, 75). 2. The Marubardhana, a tributary of the Chinab, which joins the latter river near Kishtawar (Thornton's Gazetteer,
s.v. Chenaut). Marudhanva-1. Mærwar (Bhavishya P., Pratisarga P., pt. III, ch. 2). 2. The ancient,
name of Rajputana (Mbh., Vana, ch. 201). It lay on the route between Hastinapura
and Dvårakå (16 d., Aśvamedha, ch. 53). Marusthala-Same as Marava and Marusthali (Padma P., Uttara Kh., ch. 68). Marusthali-Ihe great desert east of Sindh (Bhavishya P., Pratisarga P., pt. III). Marwar
is a corruption of Marusthali or Marusthan (Tod's Rajasthan-Annals of Marwar, ch. 1). It is called Maru in the Prabandhachintamani (Tawney's trans., p. 172). It denotes the whole of Rajputana ; see Maru and Marudhanva. Masakávati --Mazaga or Massanagar, twenty-four miles from Bajor, on the river Swat in
the Eusofzoi country. It has been identified by Rennell with Massaga of Alexander's historians and the Mashanagar of Baber. It held out for four days against the attack of Alexander McCrindle's Megasthenes and Arrian, p. 180 note). According to Arrian, Massaka was the oapital of the country of the Assakenoi (Ibid.). For the route of Alex
ander, see JASB., 1842, p. 552—Note on the passes into Hindoostan by H. T. Prinsep. Masura-Vihara-Identified by Mr. Stein with Gumbatoi in Buner, about twenty miles to
the south-west of Manglora, the ancient capital of Udyana. Matanga-A country to the south-east of Kamarupa in Assam, celebrated for its diamond
mines (Yuktikalpataru, p. 96). Matanga-Asrama-Same as Gandha-hasti Stapa (Mbh., Vana, ch. 84). Mathura-1. Mathura, the capital of Sarasena ; hence the Jainas call Mathura by the name
of Sauripura or Sauryapura (SBE., XLV, p. 112). It was the birth-place of Krishna. At a place called Janmabhumi or Kårâgâra near the Potara-kunda he was born; in the suburb called Malla-pura adjoining the temple of Kesava Deva, he fought with