Home » » Thar in ancient literature

Thar in ancient literature

The Indian epics describe this region as Lavanasagara (Salt-ocean).
Ramayana mentions about Lavanasagara (Salt-ocean) when Rama goes to attack Lankawith the army of vanaras. Rama uses his agneyashtra-amogha to dry up the sea nameddrumakulya situated on north of Lavanasagara. A fresh water source named Pushkarsurrounded by Marukantara was created.[5]
According to Jain cosmologyJambūdvīpa is at the centre of Madhyaloka, or the middle part of the universe, where the humans reside. Jambūdvīpaprajñapti or the treatise on the island of Roseapple tree contains a description of Jambūdvīpa and life biographies of Ṛṣabha and King Bharata. Jambūdvīpa continent is surrounded by ocean Lavanoda (Salt-ocean).
Course of Sarasvati river through Thar desert
The Sarasvati River is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Hindu texts. TheNadistuti hymn in the Rigveda (10.75) mentions the Sarasvati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata mention that the Sarasvati dried up in a desert.
Most scholars agree that at least some of the references to the Sarasvati in the Rigveda refer to the Ghaggar-Hakra River, while the Helmand River is often quoted as the locus of the early Rigvedic river. Whether such a transfer of the name has taken place, either from the Helmand to the Ghaggar-Hakra, or conversely from the Ghaggar-Hakra to the Helmand, is a matter of dispute.
There is also a small present-day Sarasvati River (Sarsuti) that joins the Ghaggar river.
Mahabharata mentions about Kamyaka Forest situated on the western boundary of the Kuru Kingdom (Kuru Proper + Kurujangala), on the banks of the Saraswati River. It lay to the west of the Kurukshetra plain. It contained within it a lake called the Kamyaka lake (2,51). Kamyaka forest is mentioned as being situated at the head of the Thar desert,[6] near the lake Trinavindu (3,256). The Pandavas on their way to exile in the woods, left Pramanakoti on the banks of the Ganges and went towards Kurukshetra, travelling in a western direction, crossing the rivers Yamuna and Drishadvati. They finally reached the banks of the Saraswati River. There they saw the forest of Kamyaka, the favourite haunt of ascetics, situated on a level and wild plain on the banks of the Saraswati (3-5,36) abounding in birds and deer (3,5). There the Pandavas lived in an ascetic asylum (3,10). It took 3 days for Pandavas to reach the Kamyaka forest, setting out from Hastinapura, on their chariots (3,11).
In Rigveda we also find mention of a River named Aśvanvatī along with river Drishadvati.[7] Some scholars consider both Saraswati andAśvanvatī the same river.[6]
The human habitations on the banks of rivers Saraswati and Drishadvati had shifted to the east and south directions prior toMahabharata period. During those days The present day Bikaner and Jodhpur areas were known as Kurujangala and Madrajangalaprovinces.[8]
The Desert National ParkJaisalmer has a collection of fossils of animals and plants of 180 million years old. Some fossils of Dinosaursof 6 million years old have also been found in the area.[
Share this on your favourite network

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Recommend us on Google Plus
Subscribe me on RSS