Part 3: Description of Susīmā

In this province there is a famous city, suitably named Susīmā (Well-bounded), a depository of wealth, resembling a tilaka on the earth. This jewel of a city shines with unequaled wealth, like a city of the Asuras from the center of the earth that has become visible. There women, who are moving about the houses alone, appear to have their friends present, because of their own reflections in the jeweled walls. Its wall of bright jeweled slabs, surrounded by a moat, looked like the wall around the earth surrounded by the ocean.^[1] The dust of the streets was instantly laid by the dripping streams of mada, resembling rain-water, of the elephants moving about. The sun’s rays did not penetrate at all into the head-coverings, which resembled the interiors of night-blooming lotuses,^[2] of the high-born women. Fluttering ends of flags shone on the shrines, as if they warded off the sun repeatedly, saying, “Do not go above the shrine.” The gardens with darkened skies and inundated grounds frequently resembled clouds clinging, to the earth. Thousands of pleasure-mountains, made of gold and jewels, their slopes beautiful with gardens, looked like sons of Meru. It (the city) was just like the sole meeting-place for pleasure of love, wealth, and duty at the same time, like friends. Because of its great wealth the city was like a sister between the cities Bhogāvatī below and Amarāvatī above.^[3]