Mvjceng at 03:31, 15 March 2026

2026-03-15T03:31:22Z

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{{Short description|Forest featured in Hindu literature}}
{{Infobox forest
| name = Dandakaranya
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| region = [[Bastar division|Bastar]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Maharashtra]], [[Odisha]] and [[Telangana]]
| country = [[India]]
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| area = 92,200 km<sup>2</sup>
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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2016}}

'''Dandakaranya''' ({{Langx|sa|दण्डकारण्य|translit=Daṇḍakāraṇya}}), also rendered '''Dandaka''' ({{langx|sa|दंडक}}, IAST: {{IAST|Daṃḍaka}}), is a historical region and the name of a forest mentioned in the ancient Indian epic ''[[Ramayana]]''. It covers about {{convert|35600|sqmi|km2|-2|order=flip}} of land, which includes the [[Abujhmar]] Hills in the west and borders the [[Eastern Ghats]] in the east, including regions of [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Chhattisgarh]], [[Odisha]], and [[Telangana]] states. It spans about {{convert|200|mi|km|sigfig=1|order=flip}} from north to south and about {{convert|300|mi|km|sigfig=1|order=flip}} from east to west.<ref name=brit>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9028691/Dandakaranya |title= Dandakaranya |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online}}</ref>

==Etymology==
''Dandakaranya'' means "the Dandaka forest" in Sanskrit, the abode of the [[rakshasa]] Dandaka.<ref name=brit/> It was the site of the [[Danda kingdom]] in [[Hindu puranic history]], a stronghold of the rakshasa tribes. It was a state of the [[Lanka kingdom]] under the reign of [[Ravana]]. Ravana's governor [[Khara (Ramayana)|Khara]] ruled this province.

==Hinduism==
[[File:Shukracharya advises his daughter Aruja to remain beside the lake near his hermitage while a dust storm devastates the accursed kingdom of Danda.jpg|thumb|Shukracharya advises his daughter Aruja to remain beside the lake near his hermitage while a dust storm devastates the accursed kingdom of Danda]]
Dandakaranya is considered sacred in [[Hinduism]], as many accounts of the region describe ancient Hindu peoples and Hindu deities living together in refuge there. The Dandakaranya zone was the location of the turning point in the [[Ramayana]], a famous [[Indian epic poetry|Sanskrit epic]]. The plot for the divine objectives to uproot the [[rakshasa]]s from the land was formulated here.<ref>Arya, Ravi Prakash (ed.).Ramayana of Valmiki: Sanskrit Text and English Translation. (English translation according to M. N. Dutt, introduction by Dr. Ramashraya Sharma, 4-volume set) Parimal Publications: Delhi, 1998, {{ISBN|81-7110-156-9}}</ref> According to the epic, it was home to many deadly creatures and demons. It is described to have stretched from [[Narmada River|Narmada]] to the [[Godavari River|Godavari]] and [[Krishna River|Krishna]] Rivers according to the epic. [[Rama]], his wife [[Sita]], and his brother [[Lakshmana]], are described to have spent their initial years of fourteen years as exiles traveling around the region.

==See also==
*[[Danda kingdom]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{coord missing|Chhattisgarh}}
{{Ramayana}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Places in the Ramayana]]
[[Category:Ancient Indian forests]]
[[Category:Forests of Odisha]]

Dandakaranya - Revision history

Mvjceng at 03:31, 15 March 2026