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CULTURAL DATA IN TILAKAMANJARĪ
Hence Ekaśṛnga being to the west of Kailāśa and quite close to the Vaitāḍhya, being surrounded by Ganga may be considered being not far away from the Himalayan range. It may rather be well within its fold.
The way to the Vaitaḍhya was rich in many streams of water very difficult to be waded through.' Having started off from Kāmarūpa Samaraketu reached Vijayärdha to the north offering homage to the Moon in the east. From Vijayārdha Samaraketu reached the Ekaśṛnga that was to the west of Aṣṭāpada and situate to Vaitāḍhya. His exclamation.
"व्रजामि वैताढ्यम्, अनुसरन्नमुमेव गजगमनमार्गम्, अन्वेषयामि तदुपान्तवर्तिषु ग्रामेषु नगरेष्वाश्रमपदेश काननेष्पारेषु च संभाव्य मानतदवस्थिति रम्यस्थानेषुकूमारम् । "2
refers to Vaitāḍhya being quite close to Kāmarupa where from Samaraketu started off to reach it and on the way wended his way through the forest and met Mitradhara, the brother of the king of Pragjyotiṣa (Kāmarūpa). Vaitāḍhya had a peak 'Candagahvara' by name where Harivahana had been installed as supreme sovereign of the Vidyadharas.3 But at a latter stage Dhanapāla calls 'Caṇḍagahvara' the peak of the Vijayardha mountain which means Vaitāḍhya and Vijayārdha belonged to the same range and Candagahvara formed a part and parcel of both these.* Following on he says
In Bharatavarṣa, an island of the Jambudvipa, there is a mountain Ekaśṛnga as well as Ratnakuța of apparent appellation with the movement of the chariot of the sun obstructed by the body of their peaks having their heights visible from afar, which implies Ekaśṛnga and Ratnakuta belonging to the same range." And Ekaśṛnga has been described as situated to the south of the great mountain Vijayardha having the cries of hilarious Samaraketu over it. Marching on reached peacocks resounding 'gaganavallabha' a town being the forehead mark of the series of towns situated to the north and established on the Vaitāḍhya mountain,' observing the forest falling intermediate, to the mountains Vaitāḍhya and Ekaśṛnga.
1. दुःखोतारसलिगसंख्यनिम्नगाढ्ये वैताढ्यवर्त्मनि । TM Vol. III p. 59.
2. TM Vol. III p. 58.
3. Ibid. Vol. III p. 113. देवोऽपि हरिवाहनश्चण्डगह्वरनाम्नि वैताढ्य शिखरे खेचरैर्विहितमनुभूय राज्याभिषेकमायातो नातिबहुपरिच्छदः ।
4. चण्डगह्वराख्यं विजयार्धगिरिशिखरम् etc. TM Sm. ed. p. 403.
5. Ibid. Sm. ed. pp. 207-08.
16. विजयार्धनगवरं दक्षिणेन क्षोणिधरमुद्धरमयूरकेकमेकशृंगम् । Ibid. Sm. ed. p. 408.
7. Ibid. Vol. III Commentary p. 133.
