Dakshinapatha

Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

Dakshinapatha (दक्षिणापथ) is a historical region which has been used to describe variously: 1. "Ancient South of the Indian subcontinent" below Āryāvarta, 2. A kingdom on the Godavari River in southern India^[1]^[2], 3. "Great southern highway" in India, traveling from Magadha to Pratishthana,^[3], 4. The region south of Vindhyachala.

Variants

Dakshina Patha (दक्षिणापथ) (AS, p.424)
Daksinapatha (दक्षिणपथ) = Southern trade route

Dakshinapatha trade route

The Dakshinapatha trade route was one of two great highways that have connected different parts of the sub-continent since the Iron Age. The other highway was the Uttarapatha or the great northern road that ran from Taxila in Afghanistan, through the modern Punjab up to the western coast of Yamuna. Following the course of Yamuna it went southwards up to Mathura, from there it passed on to Ujjain in Malwa and to Broach on western coast.

According to "Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India's Geography" by Sanjeev Sanyal, the trajectory of the northern road has remained roughly the same from pre-Mauryan times and is now NH2. However, the southern road appears to have drifted. Rama's route into exile in the epic may have been an early version of the road, but by the time of Buddha it started at Varanasi and ran through Vidisha in central India, to Pratishthana (Paithan). It probably extended all the way to Chola, Chera and Pandya kingdoms of the extreme south. By the Mauryan period there would have been a branch from Ujjain to the ports of Gujarat. This made Ujjain a major city by Gupta times. Today Dakshinapatha is known as NH7, which runs much further east of the old road but still meets NH2 at Varanasi.

In the old Pāli literature^[4] the name Dakkhināpatha would seem to indicate only a remote settlement or colony on the banks of the upper Godāvarī. Thus, we are told that Bāvarī had his hermitage in Dakkhināpatha territory, midway between the kingdoms of Assaka and Alaka (SN., vs.976). Elsewhere the name is coupled with Avanti as Avantidakkhināpatha and seems to refer, but more vaguely, to the same limited district. Vin.i.195, 196; ii.298. In J.v.133, however, Avanti is spoken of as a part of Dakkhināpatha (Dakkhinūpathe Avantirattha), but see J.iii.463, where Avantidakkhināpatha is spoken of.

The Sutta Nipāta Commentary (ii.580) seems to explain Dakkhināpatha as the road leading to the Dakkhinajanapada, while the Sumangala-Vilāsinī (DA.i.265) takes Dakkhināpatha to be synonymous with Dakkhinajanapada and says that it was the district (janapada) south of the Ganges (Gangāya dakkhinato pākatajanapadam).

It is clear that, in the earlier literature at any rate, the word did not mean the whole country comprised in the modern word Dekkhan. It is possible that Dakkhināpatha was originally the name of the road which led southwards - the Aryan settlement at the end of the road, on the banks of the Godāvarī being also called by the same name - and that later the road lent its name to the whole region through which it passed. (For a detailed description see Law: Geog. of Early Buddhism, pp.60ff). In the Petavatthu Commentary (PvA., p.133) the Damila country (Damilavisaya) is included in the Dakkhināpatha.

The Dakkhināpatha is famous in literature as the birthplace of strong bullocks (DhSA.141; NidA.16; DhA.iii.248, etc.). It held also a large number of ascetics (DA.i.265), and in the "southern districts" (Dakkhinesu janapadesu) people celebrated a feast called Dharana (A.v.216). See Dharana Sutta (?).

Mention by Panini

Dakshinapatha (दक्षिणापथ) is name of a Country mentioned by Panini in Ashtadhyayi under Dhumadi (धूमादि) (4.2.127) group.^[5]

In Mahabharata

Dakshinapatha (दक्षिणापथ) is mentioned in Mahabharata (II.28.10)/(2-32-18a).

Sabha Parva, Mahabharata/Book II Chapter 28 mentions Sahadeva's march towards south: kings and tribes defeated. Dakshinapatha (दक्षिणापथ) is mentioned in Mahabharata (II.28.10)/(2-32-18a).^[6]....And defeating in battle the Pulindas, the hero then marched southward. And the younger brother of Nakula then fought for one whole day with the king of Pandya. The long-armed hero having vanquished that monarch marched further to the south (Dakshinapatha). And then he beheld the celebrated caves of Kishkindha and in that region fought for seven days with the Vanar (monkey) kings Mainda and Dwivida.

दक्षिणापथ

विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर^[7] ने लेख किया है ....दक्षिणापथ (AS, p.424) विंध्याचल के दक्षिण में स्थित भू-भाग का प्राचीन नाम. सहदेव की दक्षिण भारत की दिग्विजय के प्रसंग में महाभारत सभापर्व 31,17 में दक्षिणापथ का उल्लेख है--'तं जित्वा महाबाहु प्रययौ दक्षिणापथम गुहामासादयामास किष्किन्धां लोकविश्रुताम्'.

क्षत्रप रुद्रदामन् के गिरनार-अभिलेख (लगभग 120 ई.) में सातकर्णि-नरेश को दक्षिणापथ का पति कहा गया है--'यौधेयानां प्रसह्योत्सादकेन दक्षिणापथपते: सातकर्णे द्विरपि निर्व्याज मवजित्यावजित्य...' (देखें गिरनार)

गुप्त सम्राट समुद्रगुप्त की प्रयाग प्रशस्ति में कोसल से लेकर कुस्थलपुर तक के प्रदेश के विजित नरेशों को 'दक्षिणापथ-राजा' कहा गया है-- 'कोसलक महेंद्रकौस्थल पुरक-धनञ्जय-प्रभृति-सर्व्वदक्षिणापथराजा-ग्रहण-मोक्षानुग्रह-जनित-प्रतापोन्मिश्र-महाभाग्यस्य..'. विंध्याचल के उत्तर में स्थित प्रदेश का सामान्य नाम उत्तरापथ था.

दक्षिणापथ परिचय

मूलरूप से दक्षिण अथवा दक्षिणपथ का प्रयोग उस क्षेत्र के लिये किया जाता था, जो कि उत्तर में विन्ध्य पर्वत और नर्मदा से लेकर दक्षिण में कन्याकुमारी तक विस्तृत था। बाद में दक्षिण का अर्थ वह क्षेत्र माना जाने लगा, जो कि उत्तर में नर्मदा तक, दक्षिण में तुंगभद्रा तथा कृष्णा नदी के बीच स्थित है, अर्थात् दक्षिणी पठार के मुख्य भाग को दक्षिण कहा जाने लगा, जिसके अंतर्गत आजकल का मध्यप्रदेश तथा महाराष्ट्र और आंध्र प्रदेश आता है। कृष्णा और तुंगभद्रा के दक्षिण के क्षेत्र को कभी-कभी 'तमिलहम्' अर्थात् 'तमिल देश' कहा जाता था। यहाँ पर दक्षिण का अर्थ है नर्मदा और कृष्णा नदियों के बीच का दक्षिणी पठार। भूगर्भीय दृष्टि से सिन्धु और गंगा के मैदानों की अपेक्षा यह पठार बहुत प्राचीन माना जाता है।

दक्षिण में जो पुरातात्विक अवशेष मिले हैं, वे उत्तरी भारत (हिमालय के क्षेत्र को छोड़कर) में प्राप्त अवशेषों से अधिक प्राचीन हैं। दक्षिणी पठार वस्तुत: एक पर्वतीय त्रिकोण पर स्थित है। जिसका शीर्षबिन्दु नीलगिरि है। पश्चिमी घाट एवं पूर्वी घाट इस त्रिकोण की दो भुजाएँ हैं तथा विन्ध्य पर्वत श्रेणी इसका आधार है। विन्ध्य पर्वत श्रेणी के कारण कोई नदी उत्तर से दक्षिण की ओर नहीं बहती। चूंकि पश्चिमी घाट पूर्वीघाट की अपेक्षा अधिक ऊँचे हैं, अतएव दक्षिण की सभी नदियाँ सतपुड़ा पहाड़ियों के नीचे पश्चिम से पूर्व की ओर बहती हैं और बंगाल की खाड़ी में गिरती हैं।

संदर्भ: भारतकोश-दक्षिणपथ

आकर्ष

विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर^[8] ने लेख किया है ...आकर्ष (AS, p.59) नामक एक देश का उल्लेख महाभारत में हुआ है- 'आकर्षा: कुन्तलाश्चैव मालवाश्चांध्रकास्तथा' (महाभारत 2,32,11) प्रसंग से जान पड़ता है कि आकर्ष महाभारत काल में दक्षिणापथ का एक देश था।

References

↑ http://www.historytoday.com/historical-dictionary/d/dakshinapatha
↑ http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/d/dakkhinaapatha.htm
↑ Singh, U. (2008). A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century. Pearson Education. p. 289. ISBN 9788131711200.
↑ http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/d/dakkhinaapatha.htm
↑ V. S. Agrawala: India as Known to Panini, 1953, p.509
↑ तं जित्वा स महाबाहुः प्रययौ दक्षिणापथम्। 2-32-18a, गुहामासादयामास किष्किन्धां लोकविश्रुताम्।। 2-32-18b
↑ Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.424
↑ Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.59

[1] ttp://www.historytoday.com/historical-dictionary/d/dakshinapatha

[2] ttp://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/d/dakkhinaapatha.htm

[3] Singh, U. (2008). A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century. Pearson Education. p. 289. ISBN 9788131711200.

[4] ttp://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/d/dakkhinaapatha.htm

[5] V. S. Agrawala: India as Known to Panini, 1953, p.509

[6] तं जित्वा स महाबाहुः प्रययौ दक्षिणापथम्। 2-32-18a, गुहामासादयामास किष्किन्धां लोकविश्रुताम्।। 2-32-18b

[7] Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.424

[8] Aitihasik Sthanavali by Vijayendra Kumar Mathur, p.59

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