The Geography of the Ramayana

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About The Book

Historical Geography of India is a major challenge to Indian Geographers. It is still in embryonic stage. It is desirable to make Indian Geography more Indian in its spirit and context, the research work, in ancient Indian literature from the view point of geography is imperative. This incentive and inspiration propelled the author to undertake this work.

This volume is one among a very few books dealing with the geographical ideas of ancient Indian people during the Ramayanic age. This may stand better in comparison with its predecessors in the sense that it brings forth comprehensively the relevant and interesting contents expounded specially with a geographer's point of view. The geographical facts have been traced out of the ritual procedures, discussions and mythologies by way of interpretation from geographical point of view.

The present book attempts to put forth a clear and comprehensive geographical knowledge during the Ramayanic age and divulges the fact that the terminology of the ancient Indians, however abstruse in its technical character is precise, coherent scientific and expressive. It is hoped that the book will find favour with the scholars of Historical Geography as well as cultural Geography.

About The Author

R. K. Shukla (b.1949) currently Reader in Geography, Atarra P.G. College Atarra, District Banda. After obtaining his M.A. degree in geography from Kanpur University, he joined the said college in 1971. Dr. Shukla is actively engaged in research in the field of Historical Geography and has more than twenty research papers to his credit in many scholarly journals and books. Dr. Shukla is closely associated with many national geographical societies and organisations.

FOREWORD The ancient Indian literature is replete with geographical knowledge. In the Vedic literature consisting of the Vedas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, the Upanisads, Sûtras and Smritis, the geographical material occurs incidentally and indirectly, whereas in the sanskrit works of the ancient Hindu period up to 1000 A.D. it is contained in some sections as well.

To reconstruct a systematic Historical Geography of ancient India is an arduous task involving complex interpretations and identifications in the light of modern geographical knowledge. Although, some work done discretely by non-geographers like Wilford, Pargiter, Cunningham, N.L. Dey and B.C. Law, is valuable, but it does not contribute to the systematic frame work of geography. The professional geographers of India did not pay any attention to this field till almost the middle of this century, with the result that the Historical Geography of ancient India could not assume any formal shape. However, later on, researches were initiated. The pioneering book entitled The Geography of the Purāņas' (1966) by Prof. S.M. Ali, an eminent student of Historical Geography, presented a model scientific analysis of the geographical contents of the Purāņas. Under his inspiring guidance a research work on 'Ancient Indian Geography' for the Ph.D. degree was completed in 1960 by the writer of this foreword and, later on, it was published in 1976 in a modified form under the title of 'Regional Geography of Vedic India'. This work is based on the study of Vedic literature. The book "Geographical Concepts in Ancient India (1967) by Dr. Bechan Dube is a valuable addition to this field of geography.

PREFACE The present book is based on author's doctoral thesis approved by the Bundelkhand University Jhansi. The object of the present study. however, is to bring out the geographical knowledge and concepts and ordering them systematically with a view to manifesting deep insight into geographical facts as known during the Ramayanic age. The scope and limitations of the present study have been manifested in the introductory chapter. Questions as to the period of the event of the Ramayana, the date of its composition and its genuine and interpolated parts are actually beyond the scope of the present work and could merely be touched upon.

It is my proud privilege and solemn duty to express my deepest sense of gratitude to Dr. D.P. Saxena, Reader and Head, Department of Geography (now retired) D.A.V. College, Kanpur for suggesting to me the topic of the research and pointing out the immense possibility of work in the field of historical geography hitherto so little explored particularly in respect of the Ramayanic age. I am grateful to him for all his valuable guidance and suggestions.

INTRODUCTION

Geography is considered to be the study of spatial organization expressed through processes and patterns of the earth surface. The spatial organization is multi-dimensional and time, the fourth dimension, plays vital role in determining the personality of a region. A comprehensive study of a region may be complete only when facts behind the facts have been systemtically investigated and correlations properly established. In this context, the historical geography of India naturally means to reconstruct the geography of the past.

India, indeed, offers a vast scope for the study of historical geography because of the paucity of geographical investigations into its historical past spreading over a few thousand years. The Ramayana of Valmiki marks an important period of Indian history and highlights the physical and cultural landscapes as existing during that age. Its study from a geographical point of view is fascinating to provide an explanation to the evolution of the present landscape of the country.

The Rāmāyaṇa is regarded as Adi-Kavya (the first poetic composition) of classical Sanskrit literature. Undoubtedly, we have the earliest picture of Indian culture and civilization in Vedic literature which appears to be indistinct and vague to provide succinctly a direct relation to the present pattern of Indian culture, the fundamentals of which are indeed concealed in it. The credit goes to the Rāmāyaṇa which presents before us the clear picture of Aryan and non-Aryan cultures and civilizations not only of the Ramayanic age but also of the times anterior. Besides, it marvellously correlates to the present culture of India. The epic marks out the most splendid informations relating to its geographical, social and political institutions.

**Contents and Sample Pages**