Shakadvipa (), is an island featured in

Hindu mythology Hindu mythology refers to the collection of myths associated with Hinduism, derived from various Hindu texts and traditions. These myths are found in sacred texts such as the Vedas, the Itihasas (the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Ramayan ...

. The island is named after a great

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panic ...

tree that is stated to venerated in its midst. Its terrain and inhabitants are described in the

Puranas Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

Literature

Brahma Purana

According to the

Brahma Purana The ''Brahma Purana'' ( or ; ) is one of the eighteen major Puranas collections of Hindu texts in Sanskrit. It is listed as the first Mahapurana in all anthologies, and is therefore also called ''Adi Purana''. Another title for this text is ''Sa ...

, the ocean known as

Kshira Sagara In Hindu cosmology, the ''Kshira Sagara'' (, ; ; ; Telugu: Pala Samudram) or Ocean of Milk is the fifth from the centre of the seven oceans. It surrounds the continent known as Krauncha. According to Hindu scriptures, the Deva (Hinduism), devas a ...

is surrounded by Shakadvipa, which is described to be twice the size of Kraunchadvipa, another island. The sovereign of the island is called Bhavya, and he is mentioned as having seven sons, offering each a region of the land: Jalada, Sukumara, Kaumara, Maṇīcaka, Kusumottara, Modaka, and Mahadruma. The seven mountains that exist on this island are Udaya, Jaladhara, Raivataka, Shyama, Ambikeya, Astikeya, and Kesari. A great shaka (teak) tree is described to grow there, frequented by

gandharvas A ''gandharva'' () is a member of a class of celestial beings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, whose males are divine performers such as musicians and singers, and the females are divine dancers. In Hinduism, they ...

and

siddhas ''Siddha'' (Sanskrit: '; "perfected one") is a term that is used widely in Indian religions and culture. It means "one who is accomplished." It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of perfection of the intellect as we ...

. The members of the four varnas who live here do so without contracting any disease. The Magas are the

Brahmanas The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedas, Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rigveda, Rig, Samaveda, Sama, Yajurveda, Yajur, and Athar ...

, the Magadhas are the

Kshatriyas Kshatriya () (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority"; also called Rajanya) is one of the four varnas (social orders) of Hindu society and is associated with the warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

, the Manasas are the

Vaishyas Vaishya (Sanskrit: वैश्य, ''vaiśya'') is one of the four varnas of the Vedic Hindu social order in India. Vaishyas are classed third in the order of Varna hierarchy. The occupation of Vaishyas consists mainly of agriculture, takin ...

, and the Mandagas are the

Shudras Shudra or ''Shoodra'' (Sanskrit: ') is one of the four varnas of the Hindu class and social system in ancient India. Some sources translate it into English as a caste, or as a social class. Theoretically, Shudras constituted a class like work ...

. The seven sacred rivers that flow through this island are stated to be Sukumari, Kumari, Nalini, Renuka, Ikshu, Dhenuka, and Gabhasti. No excesses of any emotion are stated to be experienced by the islanders.

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

is stated to be worshipped here, in his form of

Surya Surya ( ; , ) is the Sun#Dalal, Dalal, p. 399 as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchaya ...

Vishnu Purana

The account of Shakadvipa in the

Vishnu Purana The Vishnu Purana () is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus. The manuscripts of ''Vishnu Purana'' have survived into ...

is much the same as the Brahma Purana. The inhabitants of this island are described to be extremely virtuous, feeling no jealousy and transgressing no boundaries.

References

Places in Hindu mythology Mythological islands {{DEFAULTSORT:Shakadvipa

Literature

Brahma Purana

Vishnu Purana

See also

References