Ancient Indian Geography

Summary

In “Ancient Indian Geography as revealed in Dharma‑sūtas,” Sures Chandra Banerji compiles geographical information from various Dharma‑sūtas and their commentaries to reconstruct the regional divisions of early India. Banerji organises his data alphabetically under three headings: rivers, mountains/hills and places. He notes that some names in the Dharma‑sūtas are absent from standard reference works like De’s Geographical Dictionary or Cunningham’s Ancient Geography. Under rivers, Banerji lists sacred streams such as the Candrabhāgā, Gaṅgā, Godāvarī, Narmadā and Yamunā, explaining that their banks were considered especially holy for performing śrāddha (ancestral rites), japa, homa and tapas. He identifies the Candrabhāgā with the Chenab and notes that it was revered for ritual purposes; he discusses the confluence of the Sona and Jyotiṣā rivers and describes the region between the Gaṅgā and Yamunā as Āryāvarta. Under mountains and hills, Banerji cites peaks like Amara‑kaṇṭaka, Himavāc (the Himalayas), Malayagiri, Pariyātra (the western Vindhya range) and Vindhya itself, noting their roles as regional boundaries and their sanctity. He interprets textual glosses to identify these mountains with modern ranges and emphasises their significance for ascetic practices. In the section on places, Banerji lists sacred localities and provinces, such as Agastyāśrama near Pushkara Lake, Anga, Avanti and Āryāvarta. He explains that the Dharma‑sūtas often classify peoples of these regions as mixed castes and that crossing certain frontiers required expiation. Banerji concludes that Dharma‑sūtas provide valuable clues to early Indian geography, revealing an ancient perception of sacred landscapes and social boundaries. The article underscores the need to correlate textual references with archaeological and epigraphical evidence and to appreciate how ritual texts encode information about place and space. Banerji’s systematic compilation aids historians and geographers in mapping the cultural geography of ancient India.