Hi Patrick,

I'd suggest looking at Michael Meister's paper on the Jambū, available here:
https://www.academia.edu/784039/Exploring_Kafirkot_When_is_a_Rose_Apple_not_a_Rose

Therein (p. 110) he writes, "The earliest references to Jambūdvipa surviving are probably those in Aśoka's inscriptions (Thapar 1973: 68, 199), 6 and certainly it is early Buddhism that makes much of this continent's singular significance (Malalasekera 1937-38: 941)"

I hope this helps.

Best,
David
--
David Buchta
Lecturer in Sanskrit
Department of Classics
Brown University

On Tue, Feb 23, 2016 at 8:23 AM, Olivelle, J P <jpo@austin.utexas.edu> wrote:
I got a query from a scholar not on the list regarding the term jambudvīpa for the Indian subcontinent. When is it first attested in the literature, Sanskrit or Prakrit? If anyone has an answer, she would be grateful. With best wishes,

Patrick
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