Manasollasa (study of Arts and Sciences)

by Mahadev Narayanrao Joshi | 1984 | 74,538 words

This essay in English studies the Manasollasa authored by Someshvara III, representing an ancient encyclopedic work encompassing over 8,000 Sanskrit verses. The text addresses diverse topics like polity, political sciences, architecture, jurisprudence, iconography, idol-making, and various arts and sciences such as mathematics. The Manasollasa is ...

3.1. Mountains and Forests described in the Manasollasa

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Somesvara shows a fairly good knowledge of mountain ranges as also the prominent hills of India based on his acquaintance with the traditions recorded in the Puranas and in many cases on his personal information of them. 46 The Himalaya Parvata also called Himadri,47 is the famous Himalayan range bounding India on the North. The mountain has been particularly noted for its being clad with snow and its high elevation and grandeur. The great 44. kalidasa raghuvamsa 6.38. sangramanirvistasaha sabadurastadasadipa nikhatayupah || 45. saindhavairyavanodbhutaih kambhojaprabhavairapi | 2.6.573. 46. himalaye simhale ca vindhye tapitate tatha | 2.3.519. 47. gangasagarahemadriprayaganam ca madhyatah | vanam pracyamiti proktam lohitabdhisca pascime || 2.3.172.

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392 Himalayan range extends from Kasmir in the West to the extremities of Assam in the East. The other Parvatas, namely Malaya, Meru or Matangadri, 48 Hemakuta also, a 49 border mountain according to the Mahabharata, is identified with the Bandarpuchha range of Himalaya. Munjavat, possibly the same as the Rgvedic Mujavat famous for the 50 Soma plant, was somewhere near Gandhara, or Bahlika (Balkh) in the North-West. Somesvara mentions that the other Parvatas within the boundaries of the Himalaya are Vindhyadri, Malaya, Citrakuta, Sahyadri, etc. Malaya Parvata belonging to the South, denotes the southern part of the Western Ghats, south of the Kaveri river, comprising of the Dodabetta, Nilagiri, Annamalai, Palni and Malabar Hills. It was 51 48. krte yuge kalingesu kosale vajrasambhavah | himalaye matangadrau tretayam kulisodbhavah || 2.3.403. 49. mahabharata sabhaparva 28.6 hemakatamasadya nyavisat phalgunastatha | tam hemakutam rajendra samatikramya pandavah || 50. rgveda 10.3401. 51. kalidasa raghuvamsa 4. 46. 0 balairadhyusitastasya vijigisargatadhvanah | maricodbhantaharita malayaderupatyakah ||

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393 a border mountain of the Pandya Janapada, and it seems to have separated the Mahendra from the Malaya range of which it formed a part. To the north of the Malaya mountain spread the Sahya range called Astagiri (Sunset mountain). It is known today as the Western Ghats extending along the Western Coast. The Kaveri river separates it from the Malaya range. Vindhya is the famous range of that name to the north of Narmada, spreading from the Jhabua district in the West to the Mirzapur district in the east, where its old name is still preserved in the name of a place called Vindhyacala. The mountain along with the Narmada river forms the barrier which separates North India from the Deccan. It formed in the ancient times a dividing line between the Umarapatha or Aryavarta and the Daksinapatha. The mountain is frequently referred to in the works of the classical writers. The mountain, which gives its 52 name to a janapada also, is mentioned in the Mahabharata. 53 52. manusmrti 2.21. himavadvindhyayormadhyam yatpragvinasanadapi | geyha guroniza qeyan: yollna: 11 53. mahabharata sabhaparva 10.31. himavan pariyatrasca vindhyakailasamandarah | malayo dardurascaiva mahemdro gandhamadanah ||

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394 A place called srisaila on the right bank of the river Krsna still retains the old name of the mountain which 54 The was widely famed by the time of Somesvara. Mahabharata speaks of Siva residing on the mountain. 55 A number of mountains have been referred to by Somesvara while describing the origin of the elephants and the origine of precious stones. The forests connected with most of these mountains were particularly noted for 56 the procurement of the best elephants. Malaya Parvata belonging to the South, denotes the southern part of the western ghats, south of the Kaveri 54. srisaile vedasaile ca malayadri tathaiva ca | vanam dasarnakam nama karinam janmakaranam 11 2.3.175. 55. mahabharata vanaparva 85, 18. sriparvatam samasadya naditiramupasprset | asvamedhamavapnoti pujayitva vrsadhvajam || 56. kalinga - vedikarusa dasarnam ca vanam varam | J aािreyam tatha pracyam madhyamam vanamisyate || aparantam pancanadam saurastram cadhamam vanam | evamasta-vananyaddurgajanam janmanah padam || 2.3.178-179. 3

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395 "57 river. The mountain Malaya is particularly noted for its Sandal wood. "It was a border mountain of the Pandya janapada and it seems to have separated the Mahendra from the Malaya range of which it formed a part. Malayagiri apparently the same as Malyavat of the Deccan, denotes the Anegundi Hills along the bank of Tungabhadra in Raichur district. The mountain 58 of the forests referred to by Somesvara, Pancanada vana is the woodland extending from the Kalanjara and Kuruksetra to the sindhu river and the ocean up to the 59 Himalaya mountain. Kalinga vana known for best elephants in the vast Kalinga forest which covers the region between 60 Vindyandri and Ocean. This forest region comprised parts of Citrakutaparvata, Kalinga-desa and Dravida-desa also. The Vedikarusa and Dasarna, both noted for good elephants, 57. Dharmendrakumar Gupta. Op.cit. p.64. 58. raghuvamsa 13.26. " etadvirermalyavatah purastada virbhavatyambarale bi sam | navam payo yatra ghanairmaya ca tvadviprayogasca samam visam || 59. kalanjare kuruksetre sindhusagarasagame | vanam pancanam proktam himalayakrtavadhi 11 2.3.177. 60. vindhyadricitrakuta trika lingadravidasritam | vanam kalingakam nama samudravadhi kirtyate || 2.3.174.

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396 are the woods of the respective regions, and evidently formed parts of the great Vindhya Parvata. Dandin's work Avantisundarikatha also mentions these three forests namely (1) Kalinga vana (2) Dasarnaka-vana and (3) Vedikarusa-vana. 61 Somesvara mentions other forests also. They are Angireya vana, Aparanta vana, Pananada vana and Sourastra vana. 62

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