Here you will find presented a number of maps of Buddhist places in Ancient India to help as a reference for those interested in understanding the geography and demographic distribution of places and peoples mentioned in the Buddhist texts. A number of them have been prepared specially for this section, and others accompany particular texts and translations that are presented elsewhere on this website. The intention is to add to this section as and when the need arises.

I have included modern place names in some of the maps so as to help orientate the reader, who may not be familiar with the geography of India. I have also annotated the maps to give sources and further relevant information that could not be included elsewhere.

My main sources for information in compiling the maps have been the following: Geography of Early Buddhism by B.C. Law; Dictionary of Pàli Proper Names by G.P. Malalasekera; Buddhist India by T.W. Rhys-Davids; and Middle Land, Middle Way by S. Dhammika; many other books have incidental information, including the various annotated translations I have consulted during the course of this work. I am particularly grateful to Bhante S. Dhammika for checking the maps through for me and making many useful suggestions and corrections, which has helped improve them considerably.

ânandajoti Bhikkhu
May 2008

PDF (22 pages, 1.8 MB)

 

Tathàgatassa Pure Càritaü The Buddha's Early Career

Tathàgatassa Vassànà The Realised One's Rains Retreats

Tathàgatassa Pacchimà Càrikà The Realised One's Last Tour

 

Sarãravibhàgo The Distribution of the Relics

Cattàri Saüvejanãyàni òhànàni The Four Places that Produce Enthusiasm

Bàvarissa Màõavacàrikà Jambudãpe Bàvarã's Students' Walk across Ancient India

 

Soëasa Mahàjanapadà The 16 Great States

Paÿca Mahànadã The Five Great Rivers

Anotattasaro ca Sinerupabbato ca Mount Neru and Lake Anotatta

 

Asokassa Lipiyo Asoka's Edicts

Asokassa Pesanà Asoka's Missions

Dharmapadàni âyatanàni Where the Dhammapada-s were found

 

Note that these maps are approximate only. They have been made from satellite photographs, but the terrain, needless to say, has changed a great deal since Lord Buddha's time. I still hope, however, that they give students a better idea of the lands where the Buddha lived and taught.

 

For the technically-minded who might like to know how these maps were made. I first captured a screen shot of satellite photographs while the Opera browser was in Full Screen mode. I pasted these into PhotoFiltre and touched them up. Then were then processed to give the painted-look with FotoSketcher. They were annotated in the FastStone Image Viewer (which is much more than its modest title suggests). The insets were pasted in as layers via Paint.NET. The Thumbnails were made with Easy Thumbnails. All of these are free software programmes and I am very grateful to the developers for making and sharing them with everybody else, and so I thought I would just give them a mention here in the hope that others may like to try them also.