Hiranya Parvata

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Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (Retd.)

Hiranya Parvata (हिरण्यपर्वत) is ancient name of a place mentioned by Xuanzang visited by him in 639 AD. Alexander Cunningham[1] has identified Hiranya Parvata with Munger in Bihar state.

Variants

Location

History

Visit by Xuanzang in 639 AD

Alexander Cunningham[2] writes that At 200 li, or 33 miles, to the east of Rohinala, Hwen Thsang reached the capital of the kingdom of I-lan-na-po-fa-ta, or Hiranya-Parvata, that is, the "Golden Mountain." Close to the city stood Mount Hiranya, " from which issued smoke and vapours that darkened the sun and moon."[3] The position of this hill is determined, from its proximity to the Ganges, and from its bearings and distances from Rohinala and Champa, to be Mongir. No smoke now issues from the hill, but the numerous hot springs in the neighbouring hills show that volcanic action still exists within a few miles of Mongir. These hot springs are mentioned by Hwen Thsang.

The advantageous position of this isolated hill on the bank of the Ganges, which commanded the land route between the hills and the river, as well as the water route by the Ganges, must have led to its occupation at a very early date. Accordingly it is mentioned in the Mahabharata as Modagiri (मोदागिरि), which was the capital of a kingdom in eastern India, near Banga and Tamralipta, or Bengal and Tamluk. At the time of Hwen Thsang's visit the king had been lately ejected by the Raja of a neighbouring state. The kingdom was bounded by the Ganges on the north, and by great forest-clad mountains on the south ; and as its circuit is estimated at 3000 li, or 500 miles, it must have extended to the south as far as the famous mountain of Parasnath, which has an elevation of 4478 feet. I would therefore fix its limits as extending from Lakhi Sarai to Sultanganj on the Ganges in the north,


[p.477]: and from the western end of the Parasnath hill to the junction of the Barakar and Damuda rivers in the south. The circuit of this tract is 350 miles, measured direct on the map, or upwards of 420 miles by- road distance following the windings of the two rivers.

हिरण्यपर्वत

हिरण्यपर्वत (AS, p.1023): मुंगेर का एक प्राचीन नाम जिसका उल्लेख युवानच्वांग ने किया है. [4]

References