Most Ancient Aryan Society

Author(s): Ram Chandra Jain
Publisher: Institute of Bharatalogical Research Sriganganagar Rajasthan

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8. MYTHOLOGICAL TESTS
Our ancient traditions preserve an elaborate account of ancient geography. Certain myths refer to ancient
Mythico. geographical names. Ancient geography has Geography also been mytholised. Mythico-geography also reveals startling relevant facts.
Jain, Buddhist and Brāhmaṇical texts locate Mount Sumeru (Sinery of the Buddhists) in the middle of the earth which means the continent they knew. Buddhists locate Pubbavideha or Eastern continent to the east of Sumeru, the Apargodāna or Apargoyana continent to the west, the Uttarakuru continent to the North and the Jambudvipa continent to the South. Mahabhārata calls the Western continent as Ketumala and the Eastern continent as Bhadrāśva but retains the name Uttarakury for the Northern continent. Continent here means Division. Buddhists identify Jambudvipa with Bhārata but Jain and Brāhmaṇa texts locate Bhārata-Varşa as the Southern Varşa or part of Jambudvipa. Mount Sumeru has been identified with the Pamir range. The Brāhmaṇical tradition tells us that the Harivarşa country is bounded in the South by the Himalāyan mountains and in the north by the Nişadha mountains to the north of which is Ilāvstavarşa country in the central region of which stands the grand mountain Sumeru. The region to the north of the Sumeru mountain is known as the Uttarakuru country. Jain and Brāhmaṇical traditions identify Jambudvipa with the whole continent while Buddhist traditions take it to be the southern region of Mount Sinery. The Buddhist Jambudvipa includes in its boundaries the Harivarşa country, the Nişadha mountain and the southern region of Ilāvştavarşa. Harivarşa