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{{Short description|Forest featured in Hindu literature}} | |||
{{Infobox forest | |||
| name = Dandakaranya | |||
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| region = [[Bastar division|Bastar]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Maharashtra]], [[Odisha]] and [[Telangana]] | |||
| country = [[India]] | |||
| elevation = | |||
| area = 92,200 km<sup>2</sup> | |||
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}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}} | ||
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2016}} | {{Use Indian English|date=February 2016}} | ||
''' | '''Dandakaranya''' ({{Langx|sa|दण्डकारण्य|translit=Daṇḍakāraṇya}}), also rendered '''Dandaka''' ({{langx|sa|दंडक}}, IAST: {{IAST|Daṃḍaka}}), is a historical region and the name of a forest mentioned in the ancient Indian epic ''[[Ramayana]]''. It covers about {{convert|35600|sqmi|km2|-2|order=flip}} of land, which includes the [[Abujhmar]] Hills in the west and borders the [[Eastern Ghats]] in the east, including regions of [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Chhattisgarh]], [[Odisha]], and [[Telangana]] states. It spans about {{convert|200|mi|km|sigfig=1|order=flip}} from north to south and about {{convert|300|mi|km|sigfig=1|order=flip}} from east to west.<ref name=brit>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9028691/Dandakaranya |title= Dandakaranya |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online}}</ref> | ||
==Etymology== | ==Etymology== | ||
''Dandakaranya'' means "the Dandaka forest" in Sanskrit, the abode of the [[rakshasa]] Dandaka.<ref name=brit/> It was the site of the [[Danda kingdom]] in [[Hindu puranic history]], a stronghold of the rakshasa tribes. It was a state of the [[Lanka kingdom]] under the reign of [[Ravana]]. Ravana's governor [[Khara (Ramayana)|Khara]] ruled this province. | |||
Dandakaranya is considered sacred in [[Hinduism]], as many accounts of the region describe ancient Hindu peoples and Hindu deities living together in refuge there. The Dandakaranya zone was the location of the turning point in the [[Ramayana]], a famous [[Indian epic poetry|Sanskrit epic]]. The plot for the divine objectives to uproot the [[rakshasa]] from the land was formulated here.<ref>Arya, Ravi Prakash (ed.).Ramayana of Valmiki: Sanskrit Text and English Translation. (English translation according to M. N. Dutt, introduction by Dr. Ramashraya Sharma, 4-volume set) Parimal Publications: Delhi, 1998, {{ISBN|81-7110-156-9}}</ref> According to the | ==Hinduism== | ||
[[File:Shukracharya advises his daughter Aruja to remain beside the lake near his hermitage while a dust storm devastates the accursed kingdom of Danda.jpg|thumb|Shukracharya advises his daughter Aruja to remain beside the lake near his hermitage while a dust storm devastates the accursed kingdom of Danda]] | |||
Dandakaranya is considered sacred in [[Hinduism]], as many accounts of the region describe ancient Hindu peoples and Hindu deities living together in refuge there. The Dandakaranya zone was the location of the turning point in the [[Ramayana]], a famous [[Indian epic poetry|Sanskrit epic]]. The plot for the divine objectives to uproot the [[rakshasa]]s from the land was formulated here.<ref>Arya, Ravi Prakash (ed.).Ramayana of Valmiki: Sanskrit Text and English Translation. (English translation according to M. N. Dutt, introduction by Dr. Ramashraya Sharma, 4-volume set) Parimal Publications: Delhi, 1998, {{ISBN|81-7110-156-9}}</ref> According to the epic, it was home to many deadly creatures and demons. It is described to have stretched from [[Narmada River|Narmada]] to the [[Godavari River|Godavari]] and [[Krishna River|Krishna]] Rivers according to the epic. [[Rama]], his wife [[Sita]], and his brother [[Lakshmana]], are described to have spent their initial years of fourteen years as exiles traveling around the region. | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*[[Danda | *[[Danda kingdom]] | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
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[[Category:Places in the Ramayana]] | [[Category:Places in the Ramayana]] | ||
[[Category:Ancient Indian forests]] | [[Category:Ancient Indian forests]] | ||
[[Category:Forests of Odisha]] | [[Category:Forests of Odisha]] | ||
Latest revision as of 09:01, 15 March 2026
Dandakaranya (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.), also rendered Dandaka (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist., IAST: Daṃḍaka), is a historical region and the name of a forest mentioned in the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. It covers about 92,200 square kilometres (35,600 sq mi) of land, which includes the Abujhmar Hills in the west and borders the Eastern Ghats in the east, including regions of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Telangana states. It spans about 300 kilometres (200 mi) from north to south and about 500 kilometres (300 mi) from east to west.[1]
Etymology[edit | edit source]
Dandakaranya means "the Dandaka forest" in Sanskrit, the abode of the rakshasa Dandaka.[1] It was the site of the Danda kingdom in Hindu puranic history, a stronghold of the rakshasa tribes. It was a state of the Lanka kingdom under the reign of Ravana. Ravana's governor Khara ruled this province.
Hinduism[edit | edit source]
Dandakaranya is considered sacred in Hinduism, as many accounts of the region describe ancient Hindu peoples and Hindu deities living together in refuge there. The Dandakaranya zone was the location of the turning point in the Ramayana, a famous Sanskrit epic. The plot for the divine objectives to uproot the rakshasas from the land was formulated here.[2] According to the epic, it was home to many deadly creatures and demons. It is described to have stretched from Narmada to the Godavari and Krishna Rivers according to the epic. Rama, his wife Sita, and his brother Lakshmana, are described to have spent their initial years of fourteen years as exiles traveling around the region.
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Dandakaranya". Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
- ↑ Arya, Ravi Prakash (ed.).Ramayana of Valmiki: Sanskrit Text and English Translation. (English translation according to M. N. Dutt, introduction by Dr. Ramashraya Sharma, 4-volume set) Parimal Publications: Delhi, 1998, ISBN 81-7110-156-9
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