ART. VIII.-The Geography of Rama's Exile. By F. E. PARGITER, B.A., Bengal Civil Service.

PART I.

THE story of Ráma is one that has fascinated all generations of Hindus, and is full of interest for us. Apart, however, from its charm as a story, it presents a picture of ancient India, which is in many respects unique, and suggests perplexing questions of history, mythology, social life, topography, etc. Many of those questions permit of endless debate and little solid result, for there is no firm ground to rest upon, but the geographical questions are in a better position. India has been surveyed most accurately and completely, and we know that what it is now, it was in ancient times, except that changes have occurred in the courses of some rivers in the plains of North India; and these changes may often be detected. There is plenty of the fabulous in Hindu geography, but it is confined, as a rule, to outside lands, and the allusions to purely Indian topography are generally sober. The main features of the country were adequately known in very early times. The Aryans were well acquainted with all North India as far as the confines of Bengal proper, and the chief mountains and rivers of South India were known. Wars and caravans (of which we have a graphic instance in the story of Nala), helped greatly in opening out new territories as in all lands and ages, but it was the religious ascetics who were the pioneers in discovery, and who appear to have contributed most to a knowledge of the country. Penetrating far and wide, and exploring hill, forest, and river, they gathered experience and information, which eager listeners everywhere

besought them to recount, as we learn from various incidents in the Mahá-Bhárata (e.g. Adi Parva, i. 12; and clxv. 6321). As they spread over the country, they established hermitages, sanctuaries, and tírthas of every kind, and these, by their founders' fame, attracted pilgrims from all regions, and promoted general travel and intercourse.

The story of Ráma has come down to us in three ancient versions, Válmíki's Rámáyana, the Rámopákhyána in the Vana Parva of the Mahá-Bhárata, and canto lix. (which is exceedingly brief) in the Shoḍaśa-Rájika in the Droņa Parva of the same poem. The short recital in cantos cxlvii. and exlviii., in the Vana Parva, appears to be based on the Rámáyana; and Ráma's happy reign is described again still more briefly in a second version of the Shoḍaśarájika, in canto xxix. of the Sánti Parva. The state of country depicted in these poems is peculiar. The region north and west of the Ganges and Jumna was divided into kingdoms and advancing in civilization, but southward forest very greatly predominated, and the only people mentioned as dwelling there have been distorted into Rakshasas and other demons, and into ránaras or monkeys. The picture of India presented in the Mahá-Bhárata is in marked contrast with this, and exhibits a later stage in civilization; for large areas of forest have disappeared, and states stretch more or less continuously throughout the peninsula. The difference is so great as to imply a long interval of time between the two eras.

It may be disputed whether the picture in the Rámáyaṇa is drawn from nature, and in two particulars there is ground for doubting whether it is complete. Neither Vidarbha nor the Haihayas of Máhishmatí are alluded to; yet the former kingdom existed then, if (as it is said) Agastya married a princess of that realm; and the Hari Vamsa (xxxiii. 1876-1878) mentions that Rávana was taken prisoner by the great Haihaya king Arjuna Kártavírya. Ráma's course probably lay between those countries, and their omission from the poem would be due to their lying outside his adventures. After making allowance

for this variance, it seems the peculiarities of the picture in these poems must be the impress of an actual condition of India, for they are certainly not such as a Hindu Rishi would have pourtrayed spontaneously out of his own imagination. It will be seen that, according to the Rámáyana, sacred Prayága (Allahabad) was only a clearing in a forest which covered the end of the Ganges and Jumna doab and the tract southward, while north of it was planted a Nisháda kingdom with its capital at Sringavera-pura on the Ganges. The district of Sháhábád in Behar, midway between the holy cities of Benares and Gayá, is presented in the same poem as a once prosperous but then depopulated region. Again, except in the geographical cantos which I will notice presently, no mention is made of the Pándyas, though their kingdom was one of the oldest in South India; and Ráma, in his march towards Lanká, must have passed through what was afterwards their territory. The only populous tracts in Southern India introduced in the poems are Jana-sthána on the Godávarí, and Kishkindhyá further south-names which afterwards disappeared but for a very few rare allusions. These can hardly be imaginary, for they are certainly very ancient and are connected with the Godávarí, the Malaya Mountains, Lanká, and other distant geographical features about which there is no error.

I propose in this paper to investigate Ráma's wanderings in exile, and attempt to identify the topographical particulars introduced, using all three versions of the story. Whether this is a hopeful task must be judged by the results. The inquiry is not affected by the view which one may take of the story generally. It proceeds simply on the fact that the plot is laid in various places, and worked out among various local scenes; and this part of the material of the story may be examined in order to ascertain how far the poet has adhered to actual circumstances, and whether he has introduced any conditions purely imaginary. The main features of Central and Southern India and Ceylon pourtrayed in the poems are undoubtedly correct; and only a

minute inquiry can show whether the details agree with

nature or not.

In attempting this, I shall take little account of the four cantos in the Rámáyaṇa, in which Sugríva gave the searchparties of monkeys geographical instructions where to look for Sítá and Rávaṇa (Kiskh. K. xl. xli. xliii. and xliv.), because they seem to me to evidence a condition of the country different from that pictured in the rest of the poem, and may be suspected of being a later addition. The description of the southern region (canto xli.) in particular is markedly different; instead of forests, Rákshasas, etc., are mentioned numerous tribes, rivers, and towns, which were well-known to later times, and some of which occupied places where Ráma found forest; and the Rishi Agastya is made to dwell near the Malaya Mountains, while the poem places him in Central India. That the poem has been touched by later hands is proved by the foolish explanations and derivations offered here and there, eg. regarding the Malajas and Karúshas (Adi K. xxvii. 16-22). The quotations are all from the original Sanskrit, the edition of the Rámáyana used being Gorresio's, and that of the MaháBhárata the Calcutta Edition by the Pandits of the Education Committee.

Ráma, at his father's command, left Ayodhya city and went into exile with his wife Sítá and brother Lakshmana. They travelled in a chariot, and therefore good roads existed in that part of their journey. They first reached the river Tamasá (Ayodh. K. xliv. 1) at a ford crowded with cattle (ibid. 16). Passing on, they crossed the river Srímatí Mahá-nadí (id. xlvi. 3), and taking the fine clear high road (ibid. 4) reached the Kosalas (ibid. 9). Crossing the great river Veda-śruti there, they proceeded towards Agastya's region (ibid. 10). After travelling a very long time, they crossed the river Go-matí, which was crowded with cattle (ibid. 11), and the river Sarpiká (ibid. 12). They saw the wide region given formerly by King Manu to Ikshváku (ibid. 13), and passed beside the forest Sarayú (ibid. 15–17). Hastening on they arrived at great Sringavera-pura, which