Dear List,

A colleague not on this list agreed for me to post his query, sent originally to the risa-l list, on Indology.  I hope he’ll get some answers here.

Thanks and best wishes,

Joanna Kirkpatrick

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> From: Joseph P. Elacqua <joseph.elacqua@gmail.com>

>

> Hello all.

>

> I have recently been looking into versions of the Hindu/Buddhist "map"

> of the world.  By this, I mean the description of Jambudvipa as the

> central landmass in a series of concentric islands.  I am not overly

> familiar with this schematic, but some Hindu sources I have

> encountered describe this variously as "Bhumandala" or "Bhuloka."

> While this diagram appears in the Matsya Purana (perhaps 250-500 CE),

> I am looking for references to or descriptions of this "map" in

> earlier Hindu or Buddhist sacred or secular texts.  If anyone can

> point me to an earlier reference or possibly to a study on the

> origins of this diagram (preferably in English or Japanese language),

> I would be

extremely grateful.

>

> I also have a related, but alternate request.  In my internet

> searching, I have encountered an (un-cited) image of the Indian world

> depicted as a four-petaled lotus of which Jambudvipa is the

> southernmost petal and Mount Meru is its central blossom.  If anyone

> can point to a textual description matching this (or any remotely

> similar textual description), I would also be extremely grateful.

>

> Thank you very much for your assistance.  My apologies if there is

> some major study on this topic that I have overlooked.

>

> Joseph P. Elacqua

> Mohawk Valley Community College