काव्यमीमांसा (महाकवि राजशेखर - कवि-रहस्य एवं देश-विभाग सटीक)

APPENDIX I. 305
150. Ramyakavarṣa This is the first Varṣa to the north of the
Mahāmeru which is situated in the middle
of the Jambūdvīpa. Mount Nīla forms
the principal mountain of this Varṣa.
151. Rāvaṇagaṅgā According to Rājaśekhara, this is a river in
South India. It is difficult to identify this
river, but it is likely that it was situated
in Ceylon or the Laṅkā of Rāvaṇa. The
Rāvaṇahrada situated in the Himālayas
with an image of Rāvaṇa on its bank
seems, however, to be different from this
Rāvaṇagaṅgā.
152. Laṅkā ... ...This Laṅkā seems to be situated in the
southern-most parts of the Indian penin-
sula, as an island somewhere in the Indian
ocean. The description of this island in
the Rāmāyaṇa as well as in the Kāvya-
mīmāṁsā and the Bālarāmāyaṇa, does not
favour its identification with Ceylon or
Siṁhala. In the Rāmāyaṇa, it is stated
that the river Tāmraparṇī has to be crossed
in order to reach Laṅkā, but this river
does not lead to Ceylon. In the Kāvya-
mīmāṁsā, it is said that the monsoon current
starts from Laṅkā and reaches the Kerala
country immediately after. This will not
be possible should Ceylon be identified
with Laṅkā. In the Bālarāmāyaṇa also,
while describing the returning journey of
Rāma on the Puṣpaka chariot towards
Ayodhyā, Rājaśekhara mentions Laṅkā
and its surrounding places first, then in
succession the ocean, the bridge or the
Setu and the Siṁhala island. He also
states that Rāma and others espied Siṁ-
hala when the Vimāna deviated from the
original path in a different direction. cf.
तिर्यग्विमानगतिनाटिकेन विभीषणः—पश्यस्यग्रे जलधिपरिखं
मण्डलं सिंहलानाम् etc. It is clear from this sta-
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