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CHAPTER 363
ARCHITECTURE which is 343.rajju cubes in volume, kas in the central 100-yojana portion the manusya-lokia accommodating all but the heavenly celestial beings who inhabit the syarga-loka above the manusya-loka and the hellish beings who are distributed in the seven-earth naraka-loka below the manusya-loka.. .
The central part of the cosmos, i.e. the manuşya-loka, consists of innumerable continents or dvipas, each encircled by an ocean or samudra. These are of double the diameter of the preceding ones and are circular in shape:
Jambu, the first dvipa, is the only continent which does not encircle any ocean or continent and is the only one round in shape. One hundred thousand maha-yojanase in diameter, the Jambu has Mount Sumeru at the centre like the navel in the body. This continent has seven regions named Bharata (fig. XLV), Haimavata, Hari, Videha," Ramyaka, Hairanyavata and Airāvata divided by six mountains, namely Himavat, Maha-himavat, Nişadha, Nila, Rukmin and Sikharin, all running east to west. Padma, Mahā-padma, Tigincha, Keśarin, Mahā-pundarika and Pundarika are the lakes situated on the top of these mountains respectively. It is these lakes that accommodate
These earths or the narakas are situated one below the other, cach surrounded by three kinds of air and space. The word carth is intended to indicate the particular nature of substratum which is solid like the earth. The infernal regions are not like the layers of heavens, which rest without any substratum like the carth.
Jambů, the first continent, is encircled by Lavaņa ocean which itself is encircled by Dhätaki-khanda continent, the encircling ocean here being Kāla, which is in turn encircled by the continent Puskaravara, which, i.e. the predecessor's name, has been taken by the encircling ocean, as has been done by all the occans onwards.
The fourth and onward continents are Väruņi-vara, Kşira-vara, Ghsta-vara, Kundalavara, Sankha-vara, Nandiśvara, Aruņa-vara, Arunabhäsa-vara, Kundala-vara, Sankha-vara, Rucaka-vara, Bhujaga-vara, Kusa-vara, Krauñca-vara, etc. And, to begin from the last backwards, the continents are Svayambbu-ramaņa, Ahiadra-vara, Deva-vara, Yakşa-vara, Bhutavara, Näga-vara, Vaidurya-vara, Vajra-vara, Suvarna-vara, Rūpya-vara, Hingulika vara, Aõjanaka-vara, Syama-vara, Sinddra-vara, Haritala-vara, Manah-sila, etc.
AA measure of distance. 24 angulas or finger-tips, each equal to an inch in general, make 1 hasta or cubit, 4 hastas make a dhanus or capa, literally a bow, 2,000 dhanuses make 1 kroša, which may equal 2 miles, 4 krošas make a yojana in general, whereas 2,000 krosas make the mahd-yojana.
* For details, see below, page 521,
• The names in cosmography may significantly correspond 10 those in art and architecture.
This region is divided into three parts called Deva-kuru, Uttara-kuru and Videha.
This region, just like Bharata, is divided into six horizontally by a mountain called Vijayardha and vertically by the two rivers; the division in the outer centre is Arya-khanda. whereas the other five are Mleccha-kbandas.
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