The backdrop of the Srikanthacarita and the Mankhakosa
by Dhrubajit Sarma | 2015 | 94,519 words
This page relates “Countries and cities (found in the Shrikanthacarita)� as it appears in the case study regarding the Srikanthacarita and the Mankhakosa. The Shrikanthacarita was composed by Mankhaka, sometimes during A.D. 1136-1142. The Mankhakosa or the Anekarthakosa is a kosa text of homonymous words, composed by the same author.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Part 8a - Countries and cities (found in the Śrīkaṇṭhacarita)
1. ѳܰ or Kerala
Ѳṅk첹 has praised the beauty of the faces as well as the breasts of the females of the country of ѳܰ, situated in ṣiṇātⲹ, respectively in śܻ� 岹ٱԳٳܰṅdṣpū[1], ṭuٲñṭābܰ[2] �.. He refers to the women of Kerala.[3] This place is located in Mālbar, in South India. ѳܰ is another name for Kerala. According to the ٳٲ岵[4] and the Raghuvaṃśa[5], the Kerala is the strip of land between the western ghats and the sea, north of the river 屹ī. Likewise, the poet refers to the wind that blows from Kerala, situated at far distance, from the land of Kashmir in پ پ vyaloki[6] …�. Regarding the ܳ, Jonarāja writes that by the wind, that blows from Kerala, the creepers are quivering.[7]
2. ṇāṭka
The 첹ṇāṭīṇ�[8] or the winds of ṇāṭ i.e. the present state of ṇāṭka has been referred too. It may be mentioned here that, probably this place is located in present Chennai, as the wind from the mountain Malaya is spoken of as blowing in it. Jonarāja also construes the term 첹ṇāṭīṇ� as ⲹⲹ�.[9] The poet here also refers to the coconut fruits growing in ṇāṭkapradeśa.
3. ṅg
Ѳṅk첹 refers to North Bengal situated in the eastern part of India, when he mentions the province of ṅg.[10]
4. Māgadha
He also mentions 岵[11] and thereby refers to Bihar and its inhabitants.
5. Matsya
Coming to west, Ѳṅk첹 gives reference to Matsya i.e. north Rājputānā situated in the western part of India.[12] The poet refers to one desert by the word maru.[13] Some more references of familiarity of the poet to a desert are found.[14] According to some, the term maru might have been used to denote the place Mārwār. The elephants found in the forests of Vindhya, also have been referred to in sa ٲ ٰ岹śǰ첹ṇāṃ[15] �...
6. ṃh and ṅk
Ѳṅk첹, also refers to some places situated far away from Kashmir. As for example, the wind from ṃh has been mentioned in ܱᲹԲԲūٰ[16] �..., also in anvarodhi dadhatā guru ṃh�[17] �... He mentions ṅk.[18] The poet knew ṅk as a separate island from ṃh (Ceylon) since he refers to ṃh many times, but ṅk for once. Again, he refers to the հūṭa mountains near ṅk, which is nowhere to be found in ṃh. From these, it may be assumed that according to the poet, these two islands are different. The word ṅk means primarily an island. According to mythology, ṅk is the capital of the legendary king 屹ṇa, as depicted in the 峾ⲹṇa, the great epic. The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks known as the հūṭa Mountains. This island would lie more than a hundred miles south-west of present Sri Lanka, the country.
7.
The poet refers to the city of i.e. purī, the abode of the ⲹṣa, situated at the foot of the mountain, .[19] had glorified this place in his lyric, ѱūٲ It was the capital of Kubera, the lord of the ⲹṣa. Regarding northern part of India, Ѳṅk첹 remarks that the region, which is an ornament of the forehead of the direction that was acquainted to Kuvera i.e. north, is referred to by śī.[20] śī was otherwise known as ī, which is, as if, a place for taking bath for the creator.[21] The poet has given a beautiful reason for śī being surrounded by snow-clad mountains. The poet observes that both the ocean and the land of śī have the wealth of precious jewels. But the ocean is, as if, defeated by the wealth of śī and hence, it circumambulates śī with its milky-white waves, giving the impression of the snowcovered mountains.[22]
8. Pravarapura
Ѳṅk첹 refers the city Pravara, in lofty terms. He remarks that by whose purer qualities, all the quarters are exceedingly decorated, just like the rays and which is well known as Pravara, the city attains the position of a crest jewel of that region.[23] Alexander Cunningham and M. A. Stein have furnished details about this place.[24]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
śܻ� 岹ٱԳٳܰṅdṣpū kṣālitamamśujāla�/
smereṇa candro muralāṅganānā� mukhena sāpatnakamālalambe//
Śrīkaṇṭhacarita.,VI. 39, page 82
[2]:
ṭuٲñṭābܰpurandhrikuceśu puṣpaketo�/
bhuvanavijayakīrtivaijayantīrmarudayamutkṣipatīva dākṣiṇātya�//
Ibid., VII. 39, page 100
[3]:
malayaparimalāḍhyaṃbhābuka� keralīna� vipulapulakavedhā mānmathagranthakāra�/
diśi diśi pṛṣadaśvo dākṣiṇātya� śiśikṣe rasaparivṛḍhasakhyāhaṃkṛtaścāpalāni//
Ibid., VI. 60, page 87
[4]:
na para� muralānā� sehe mūrdhasu connati� karairāhanyamāneṣu yāvatkāntākuccsvapi/
ٳٲ岵., Taraṅga VI. 5. 96
[5]:
bhayotsṛṣṭavibhūṣāṇā� tena keralayoṣitā� alakeṣu camūreṇuścūrṇapratinidhīkṛta�/
muralāmārutoddhūtamagamatkaitaka� raja� tadyodhavārabāṇānāmayatnapaṭavāsatā�// Raghuvaṃśa, IV. 55
[6]:
Śrīkaṇṭhacarita., VIII. 17
[7]:
keralākhyo dakṣiṇāpathe janapadaviśeṣastasya mārutacchaṭābhistaralā sakampā پ پ devyā vyaloki vilokitā/
Ibid., VIII. 17, page 112
[8]:
Ibid., VI. 62
[9]:
te 첹ṇāṭīṇāḥ ⲹⲹ� kamiva na krīḍārasa� cakrire/
Ibid., VI. 62, page 88
[10]:
Ibid., XVI. 34
[11]:
Ibid., XVII. 9
[12]:
Ibid., XVI. 34
[13]:
Ibid., XXV. 124
[14]:
Ibid., VI. 65; VII. 40
[15]:
Ibid., XXII. 34
[16]:
Ibid., VII. 40, page 101
[17]:
anvarodhi dadhatā guru ṃh� saiṃhalena rathatā pavanena/
saurabhādupanatairalicakrairyo’grasaṃgatarathāṅga ivāsīt//
Ibid., XII. 7, page 162
[18]:
Ibid., VI. 73
[19]:
ⲹūٲٰᲹ첹첹ܳٳܰ첹ⲹԲⲹ�/
alakāvi mudrabahusaudhasauhṛdādanimeṣalocanacayeva vīkṣate//
Ibid., IV. 60, page 57; also IV. 55
[20]:
Ibid., III. 1
[21]:
kuberasakhyā� kakubho lalāṭikā yadeti kaśmīrapadābhidheyatā�/
satīsaro nāma tadasti maṇḍala� vicitrasargāvabhṛtha� prajāpate�// Ibid., III. 1
[22]:
vibhāvyate sāndrahimārdramūrtibhi� pravartitāṭṭālakamudramadribhi�/
maṇivrajaiśvaryajitena sūtritapradakṣiṇa� kṣīrasarasvateva yat// Ibid., III. 3
[23]:
guṇairmayūkhairiva śuddhimattarairnikāmamuttaṃsitasarvadiṅmukha�/
dhṛtaprasiddhi pravarākhyayā pura� vigāhate yasya kirīṭaratnatā�// Ibid., III. 21
[24]:
‘Śrīnagarī, the old capital of śī prior to the erection of Pravarasenapura, is stated to have been founded by the great Aśoka (Rājataraṅgiṇ�, i. 104) who reigned from B.C. 263 to 226…�.Pravarasenapura or the new capital was built by Rājā Pravarasena II in the beginning of the sixth century. Its site, as already noted, was that of the present capital of Śrīnagar. This is determined beyond all possibility of doubt by the very clear and distinct data furnished by the Chinese pilgrim Huen Thsang, and by the Hindu historian Kalhaṇa Paṇḍit…�
Cunningham, Alexander, Ancient Geography of India., part I, pages 110-112, also Stein, Introduction to the translation of Rājataraṅgiṇ�, vol. I, page 84