Geographical Survey of the Puranas- The Puranas: A Geographical Survey (An Old and Rare Book)

The Puranas which belong to the class of religious literature are in fact a supplement to the Vedas. Almost all of them are sectarian in character. They are valuable from the historical point of view not only because they give the lists of dynasties but. also because they record the tradition prevalent among the masses. They afford us far greater insight into all aspects of Hinduism, its mythology, its god worship, its theism and pantheism, love of gods, philosophy, superstitions, festivals, ceremonies and its ethics. They occupy a unique position in the sacred and secular literature of the Hindus being next in importance to Vedas only. Not only Vedic metaphysics, mythology and cosmogony, not only the great legends of Brahmanas, not only the accumulated religious tradition of India, not only the multiple cults but also history, culture, chronology, poetry, sociology, geography, topo graphy, art, architecture, painting, governmental administration, agriculture, cattle- breeding, economic and social life of the people and a thousand other similar topics mapping out the entire canvas of the nation's life have gone into the making of Pauraņika literature.
The Puranas have always fascinated me not only because they are religious works but also due because they are encyclopaedic in character. So after completing my postgraduate studies, I decided to choose a topic from the Puranas for my research work. I finally opted to work on "A critical study of the geographical Data available in the Puranas." Fortunately I got a Government of India research scholarship in Humanities. The then Chairman of the Selection Committee (Government of India) advised me to restrict the scope of my subject to the four Puranas namely the Nilamata, the Matsya, the Vişnu and the Vayu Puranas only because otherwise the subject would become too vast to be completed within the stipulated time.

The geographical knowledge is very necessary. for a proper understanding of the ancient history and culture of a nation. The physical features of a country immensely influence the character of its people and their political life. The Himalayas, the Indian ocean and the passes on the north-west frontier of pre-partition India are well known for the influence they have exercised over the political history of India. The climate and the products of a country greatly affect the physique and the nature of its people. Moreover, the geographical knowledge is all the more essential in the case of a country like India which has a long history and a brilliant past. The geographical knowledge may not only be helpful to enable us to understand the Indian history but also to comprehend fully the import of the geographical terms used in the various religious, mythological and the literary works.
"A knowledge of space, no less than that of time, of geography no less than that of chronology is an indispensable prerequisite of a serious historical study." says Dr. H.C. Raychaudhuri.