Mount Meru in Hinduism

In this article we will find out what Mount Meru is. In the cosmology of Buddhism and Hinduism, it is called Sumeru, which means "good measure", and is regarded as the center of all spiritual and material megalaxies. This peak is considered the abode of Brahma and the other devas.

In the Puranas, it is written that its height is 80,000 yojanas (1,106 million km) - about this size is the Sun in diameter (1.392 million km), which is three times the distance from the Earth to the Moon. Where is Mount Meru? In the same works it is said that it is located on Jambudvipa - one of the continents of our planet. Hindu temples, including Angkor Wat in Cambodia, are a symbolic representation of Kailas, Mount Meru or Mandara.

Hindu cosmology

In the heritage of Hinduism, the universe is represented in the form of a lotus, from the center of which Mount Meru is magnified. At its top is the paradise of the most important deva of Indra. In the cosmology of Hinduism, this height is at the center of the universe. Sometimes it is attached to the center of the northern terrestrial pole. According to the Puranas, the Vedic deva live on the summit of Meru.

In some Indian sources, Mount Meru is referred to as one of the 16 Himalayan rocks that towered above the water during the Flood. Among the modern names of the Himalayan peaks there is also the Peak Meru, but the Hindu most sacred consider Mount Kailash, which they call "the eternal home of Shiva." In fact, in each source, it is written that Meru is in the far north.

In ancient legends it was pointed out that the land to the north was on the ascent. The Scythians, Iranians and ancient Indians assumed that all the famous rivers flowed from the northern sacred mountains. The opinion of the existence of high rocks stretching along the shore of the North Ocean from west to east is also displayed on the map of Ptolemy prepared for his book Geography, which was published in 1490 in Rome. This judgment was exaggerated in society up to the 16th century.

In his collection "Studies in India" the famous Persian medieval encyclopedist Al-Biruni reports that Mount Meru is the center of the dvips and seas, as well as Jambudvipa.

The great legend

In the Mahabharata, Meru is presented as a mountainous country with hills up to the sky, where the main peak is the Mandara rock. This work describes the territories beyond the Himalayas: the Pamir and Tibet ranges, impassable forests and deserts of Central Asia, polar regions and arctic wonders - the immovable Polar Star; The sun rises only once a year; Stars revolving in the horizontal plane, completing each of their circle in 24 hours (they do not rise and do not go); The highest constellation of the Great Bear; Night and day lasting six months; A region of long darkness; Aurora borealis and so on. The book tells that on the edge of this land stands the sacred mountain Meru, the northern slope of which is washed by the Dairy Sea.

What is written in the Puranas?

In accordance with puranic cosmology, on the summit of Meru there are all-powerful devas - Brahma and Indra, and around it all the luminaries revolve. Indraloka is the abode of Indra, the chief Vedic deva, and is located at the very top of the mountain. It also houses the brilliant Indra Palace, in the garden of which grows a catfish plant - it is from it that the holy drink of immortality is made.

The Brahma Egg consists of the universe and several worlds (lokas). All Loki are united into three basic groups: the devil's locks, the upper and middle ones (here and the Earth belongs). The upper worlds are composed of paradise and higher spheres, where a variety of devas live. The center of all layers is Mount Meru, which rises above the paradise top loki. Under them is located seven concentric continents-islands. The central one is the flat and round land of Jambudvipa. The second continent is called Gomedaka (or Plaksha): it is surrounded by a sea of molasses.

The third mainland, Shalmala, is located in the surrey water reservoir of Sura, and the fourth, called Kusha, is washed by the sea of rectified oil of Sarps. The fifth land is named after Crowncha and is in the lake of Dadhi's yogurt. The sixth continent - Svetadvipa - is located in the milk ocean of Kshir. The seventh land - Pushkara - is surrounded by a large round lake of clear water Jala, adjacent to the territory of the highest mountains of Lokalok, separating the visible Universe from the gloomy world. Behind the mountains of Lokalok lies the region of endless night, and then - the shell of the universal egg.

A similar order of the structure of this egg is common for the Upanishads, as well as for the epic and the Puranic tales. However, the names and numbers of different worlds vary.

Vayu, Lanka and Meru

In the Hindu tradition, Mount Meru is mentioned innumerable times. They indicate that the god of the wind Vayu and Meru rock were cronies. One day, the Vedic thinker Narada persuaded Vayu to demonstrate his power by blowing on the sacred rock. Vayu blew for a year with terrible force, but Garuda flew to Meru's aid and covered her with her wings. One year passed, and Garuda decided to rest. As a result, the summit of Mount Meru collapsed into the ocean, reincarnating in the island of Sri Lanka.

Mountains of Vindhya, Meru and Agastia

Another well-known legend says that one day the Vindhya Ridge dividing South and North India began to grow. He grew so much that he began to interfere with the movement of the Sun. At the same time, the Vindhya mountains developed their gadgets and insisted that the sun god Surya would walk around them every day as he bypassed Mount Meru (which, according to many, is at the north pole). As a result, there was a need for punishment of Vindhya, and therefore the thinker Agastya was elected to perform this task.

Meru is a mountain, the height of which draws the attention of many. So, Agastya traveled from north to south, and met on his way the impenetrable Vindhya ridge. He began to beg the mountain range so that he would let him go to South India. The Vindhya mountains revered the famous Risha Agasti, so they bowed before him and were allowed to go south to the philosopher and his family. They also promised not to grow up until he returned to North India.

Nevertheless, Agastya remained to live in the south, and the Vindhya ridge, true to its word, never increased in size. Thus, Agastya achieved the cunning of something that could not be achieved by force.

Mount Meru. Location:

Where in the modern world is Mount Meru? The Himalayas are the highest mountain system of the Earth, which is located between the Tibetan Upland (in the north) and the Indo-Gangetic plateau (in the south). They are located in the territories of Nepal, India, Pakistan, the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and Bhutan. The foothills of these heights are also located on the extreme north of Bangladesh.

Peak Mera is located in the Sagarmatha area (the Himalayas, the Hinku valley) and is classified as the highest peak for tracking in Nepal. It includes three main ridges: Meru Severnuy (6 476 m), Southern (6 065 m) and Central (6 461 m). What is the central mountain of Meru? Climbing on it is very popular, since at a significant height of the summit the route is technically simple. That is why the tracking competitions are held on it all the time.