Dvipa

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In Indian Cosmology, dvīpa (Devnagari: द्वीप "island"; also mahādvipa "great island") is the term for the major divisions of the , sometimes translated as "continents".

Dvīpa has a further meaning than "island" and "continent" in Hinduism beliefs. "Dvipa" also means "planets" situated in the ocean of outer space.

"The "planets" are called dvīpas.
Outer space is like an ocean of air.
Just as there are islands in the watery ocean,
these planets in the ocean of space are called dvīpas, or islands in outer space"
— Chaitanya Caritamrita Madhya 20.218, Purport

There are 7 dvipas in Hinduism beliefs.[1] More than 2000 years ago the writers of Puranas have adopted similar method and divided earth in to natural divisions based on the predominant flora or fauna of this region. According to Matsya, Bhagavata Puranas, the world was divided into 7 dvipas. The list of sapta-dvīpa (7 dvīpas) in Mahabharata[2] are:

  1. Jambu ("Jambul")
  2. Plaksha ("Ficus religiosa")
  3. Shalmali ("Bombax tree")
  4. Kusha ("grass")
  5. Kraunca ("Mountain")
  6. Shaka ("Pine")
  7. Pushkara ("Maple")
The seven mahādvipa (continents) according to the revisionist interpretation by Hindu nationalist historian Naryan A. Bangera

According to a revisionist interpretation by Hindu nationalist historian Naryan A. Bangera they correspond to following modern continents or islands:[3][4]

  1. Jambu dvipa (land of the Indian berries) - Asia
  2. (land of grass) - Oceania including Indonesia and the Philippines (excl. Australia)
  3. (land of the fig trees) - South America
  4. (land of lakes) - Africa
  5. (land of the silk cotton trees) - Australia
  6. (land of the krauncha birds or the demoiselle crane) - North America
  7. Shaka dvipa (land of the trees) - Europe or Greater Europe.

The word dvīpa is from an older form *dui-Hpa- and means "having water on two side". It is cognate with Young Avestan 'duuaēpa' which means the same.[5]

But in the Brahma Purana, it describes the Seven Continents (sapta-dvīpa) and sub-continents of the world, though some other land mass are not mentioned, those which are mentioned are called:[6]

  • Jambū—It is the central one of the seven continents surrounding the mountain Meru, so called either from the Jambū trees abounding in it or from an enormous Jambū tree on Mount Meru visible like a standard to the whole continent. Sec S. M. Ali, Op. cit., chapters V-VII on Jambūdvīpa.
  • Śāka can be identified with Malaya, Siam, Indo-China and Southern China or the South-Eastern corner of the land mass of which Jambūdvīpa occupied the centre.
  • Kuśa contains Iran, Iraq and the south-western corner of the land mass round Meru.
  • Plakṣa identified with the basin of Mediterranian since Plakṣa or the Pākhara tree is the characteristic of warm temperate or Mediterranian lands identifiable with Greece and adjoining lands.
  • Śālmala—the tropical part of Africa bordering the Indian Ocean on the West. It includes Madagascar which is the Hariṇa of the Purāṇas and the Śaṃkhadvīpa of some other writers of scriptures.
  • Krauñca represents by the basin of the Black Sea.
  • Upadvīpas (sub-continents): 1) Bhārata 2) Kimpuruṣa 3) Harivarṣa 4) Ramyaka 5) Hiraṇmaya 6) Uttarakuru 7) Ilāvṛta 8) Bhadrāśva and 9) Ketumāla. According to P.E. (p. 342) there are eight long mountain ranges which divide the island Jambu into 9 countries which look like nine petals of the lotus flower. The two countries of the north and south extremities (Bhadra and Ketumāla) are in a bow-shape. The four of the remaining seven are longer than the rest. The central country is known as Ilāvṛta.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ http://www.sacred-texts.com/earth/pf/pf40.htm
  2. ^ Mahabharata 6.604
  3. ^ Rajagopalachari, Parthasaratahy. "Geographical knowledge of ancient Indians". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ Titus, Monday; Agbolosoo, Dela; Halder, Somenath. "Reappraisal of Linkages between Concepts and Ideas in Geography and the 'Puranas'". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. ^ Vaan, Michiel de. 2008. Etymological dictionary of Latin and the other Italic languages. Leiden: Brill. p.19.
  6. ^ www.wisdomlib.org (2018-03-17). "Seven Continents (sapta-dvīpa) [Chapter 16]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
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