MAHANILA CAVES

Location

The relatively ancient (mediaeval?) Vahu Purana, a Sanskrit geography describing the area west of the mythical Mount Meru, mentions Kinnara people »in Mahanila« (note 1) who used »caves below the ground« as troglodyte settlements (cave dwellings). »In Mahanila are fifteen towns of the Hayananas or Asvamukhas, the horse-faced. … in caves below the ground abide people like snakes who live upon the golden stamens of certain flowers [note 2]. In the hills above are thousand abodes of the Daityas [note 3]; the houses are elegant like high embattled forts« (ATKINSON, E T 1882, vol. 11 edited 1981, vol. 2, part 1: 296). Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 28/02/2016

NOTE 1: »Mahanila« (literally: great blue-green) may refer to any distant mountains. NOTE 2: Saffron is the dried red stamens of a crocus-type plant, highly prized for its colouring and flavour. The yellow stamens are used as a spice but the rest of the flower is not wasted. The petals and stems, along with chillies, garlic and other spices, are pulverized and dried into a cake. This becomes a winter addition to Kashmiri food. NOTE 3: A hill tribe, or section of a hill tribe following a certain avocation. Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 28/02/2016