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Sunday, October 07, 2007

#032, Where are the Dardura Mountains?

DARDURA MOUNTAINS - NEAR SOMPETA, SRIKAKULAM DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH.

5-36-8 and 9(BOOK 5, BOOK OF BEAUTY, SUNDARA KAAND`A) CHAPTER 36, VERSE AND 8.
Darduureena ca tee deevi s`ape muula phalena ca
Malayena ca Vindhyena MeruN`aa MandareeN`a ca
Yathaa sunayanan valgu bimbausht`haan chaarukund`alam
Mukhaan drakshyasi Raamasya puurn`achandram ivoditam


CONTEXT: The demon king Ravan`a abducted Sita and kept her in a garden. The Vaanara Minister and emissary of Rama, Hanuman met her there. He was trying to console her, by assuring that she would soon meet Rama.

GIST"Devi! (Oh Sita!) I swear by the roots and fruits we eat, by the Dardura Mountains, Malaya Mountains, Vindhya Mountains, Meru Mountains, Mandara Mountains and tell you that you will soon see the handsome face of Rama.

Sunayan (beautiful eyed), Bimbousht`ham (Lips of red color like a red gourd), Caarukund`alam (with beautiful ear rings) and Purn`acandra iva uditam (like rising Full moon) : These are all adjectives for the face of Rama.

This writer's observations: Hanuman is swearing by the mountains of his place (Kishkindha). Dardura mountains are near Mahendra Giri. Both are near Sompeta town, Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh - a border town with Orissa. I furnish below a beautiful link of a digital library in China which discusses the Kalinga Kingdom and Ashoka Edicts (stone inscriptions). The article contains a reference to Dardura Mountains and Sompeta. It also makes a reference to Hiramand`alam (Ira Mand`alam) which was said to be a settlement of Ceylonese (Sri Lanka now). The page also mentions that Sompeta area had sea trade and boat transportation to Ceylon during the days of Samudra Gupta. (History: Emperor Ashoka defeated Kalinga in a fierce bloody war which changed his mind. The next important Dynasty Gupta king - Samudra Gupta made a whirlwind triumphant adventurous tour to South India along the Sea Coast. He too defeated Kalinga.)

LINK TO THE CHINESE BUDDHIST SITE: http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-ENG/ramdas.htm

There is a possibility of Ravan`a Lanka being an island on the Bay of Bengal near Dardura Mountains - Mahendra Giri - Sompeta -Andhra Orissa border.

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