Ancient Indian Geography

Summary

This article surveys the wealth of geographical information preserved in ancient Indian literature. The author notes that sources span many languages, including Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit and even Greek, Latin, Chinese and Arabic. By systematically collecting material from Vedic hymns, epics, Puranas, Panini’s grammar, land grants and inscriptions, a comprehensive concordance of place names could be compiled. The essay illustrates how Vedic geography mentions rivers such as the Ganga, Sindhu, Sarasvati, Susoma and Marudvrdha and identifies regions like Kamboja, Bahlika and Gandhara. Such references anchor the Vedic world to real landscapes and show awareness of north‑western India during the second millennium BCE. Beyond physical geography, the author highlights political and commercial dimensions: land grants describe village boundaries and administrative divisions while trade itineraries and emporia reveal networks of exchange. The article advocates for a detailed index of geographical names from inscriptions and texts, noting that thousands of inscriptions from the Mauryan to early modern periods contain valuable details about provinces, capitals, rivers and mountains. By interpreting these materials, historians could trace the evolution of Indian political geography and appreciate how knowledge of the subcontinent expanded over time. The author laments that despite a century of research, scholars have not produced a proportionate advance in our understanding of ancient geography and calls for a coordinated research project to fill this gap.