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16 INDIA AS DESCRIBED IN EARLY TEXTS
the following system of classification: (1) those belonging to Madhyadeśa (Middle country); (2) those to Udicya (Northern region); (3) those to Prācya (Eastern India); (4) those to Dakşiņāpatha or Dākşiņātya (Deccan); (5) those to Aparānta (Western India); (6) those to the Vindhya region (Vindhya or Vindhyaprştha); . and (7) those which are mountainous (parvatā
Grayi).1 These may be shown to have been a A result of further systematisation froin the Mahābhārata, Bhişmaparva, Ch. 9, in which the divisions Prāoya, Udīoya, Dakşiņa, Aparānta and Pārvatīya are distinctly mentioned, and the remaining two are implied. The five traditional divisions of India, as met with in Hinen Teang's Si-yu-ki and the Bhuvanakoşa of the Puriņas are: as enumerated in the formor-northern, southern, eastern, western and centrala, and as in the latter-Madhyadesa (Middle country), Udicya (Northern), Prācya (Eastern), Dakşiņāpatha (Deccan) and Aparānta (Western). Rajasekhara, in his Kāvya-mümārsā, offers the following description of them:
Tatra Bārāṇasyā parataḥ Pūrvadeśaḥ Māhīpmatyā parataḥ Dakgiņāpathaḥ Doyasabhāyā parataḥ Pasoāddesaḥ Pșthudakāt parataḥ Uttarāpathaḥ
1 Märkandeya Pusāna, Ohap. 57. 2 Beal, Records, į, p. 70; Omningham, Anoient Geography, p. 186. 8 Thom Aanvanha of winerla Radhim
