The Home-Land of Visnusarma

Summary

This article re‑examines the long‑standing question of where Viṣṇuśarman, the reputed author of the Pañcatantra, originated. Earlier scholars like Hertel speculated that the work was composed in Kashmir, partly because of the absence of elephants and lions in its stories and mention of camels. The author tests this hypothesis by analysing internal descriptions and names. The Pañcatantra refers to a coastal country abundant in coconut, jackfruit and sugarcane, and its narratives mention the shrine of Mahendra and rivers such as the Indravati—features associated with Kalinga in eastern India. Proper names of Brahmins and officials in the stories match those found in the Mathara records of Kalinga and the Ganga and Eastern Ganga dynasties. The article argues that the presence of elephants in several tales and the lack of camels undermine the Kashmir theory. Geographical hints point instead to a south‑eastern homeland along the Bay of Bengal. The author notes that the Pañcatantra attained global fame through translations but that the original context of its composition has been obscured. By correlating textual details with epigraphic data from Kalinga, the study concludes that Viṣṇuśarman likely lived in the coastal region of Kalinga (modern Odisha/Andhra Pradesh) during the early centuries of the first millennium. This identification situates the fables within a milieu of maritime trade and cosmopolitan culture and explains some of the work’s distinctive motifs.