By
M.H. Panhwar
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History records different names of geographical places and tribes of Sindh, Southern Punjab and Baluchistan as they appear in Vedas (100-800 BC), Purans (600-500 BC), Mahabharata (400-200 BC), Ramayana (100 BC), Panini (400 BC), Periplus (100 BC - 50 AD), Ptolemy (140 AD) and Arab and Persian travellers (711-1000 AD). These are presented in table below:
Present Name | Vedic Name | Puranic Name | Mahabaharatan Name | Ramayana Name |
Arabian sea (Greek Erythrean sea) | Paravat Samundra |
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Pascimasaga |
Indus. | Sindhu | Sindhu | Sindhu | Sindhu |
Jehlam. | Vitasta. | Vitasta | Vitasta |
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Chenab. | Askni. | Askni | Chandrabhaga |
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Ravi. | Parusni | Parusni | Iravali. |
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Beas. | Vipas | Vipas | Vipasa |
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Hakra. | Satudri | Satudri | Satudri |
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Sindh Western Rajputana. | Praticya. |
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Sibians. | Shalanas |
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D.G. Khan people. | Srinjava |
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Multanis | Yadu |
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Bahawalpurians and Bikanirians. | Puru |
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North Eastern Sindh upto Southern Border Nawabshah District. |
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Sauvira |
Sauvira |
Area from D.I. Khan to Larkana District. |
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Sindhu |
Sindhu |
Khirthar Range. |
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| Somagiri. |
Deltaic area of Indus i.e., Badin and Thatta District. |
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Barbara | Sindhsagra and also Sangama. |
People of Thar (Sindh) and Indian desert. |
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| Maru |
The Punjab. |
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| Panchanada |
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Present Sukkur and Hahwalpur Division a left bank of the Indus. |
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Sauvira |
Sauvira |
D.G. Khan, Jacobabad, Shikarpur and Larkana Dist. On Right Bank. |
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Sindhu |
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Central Sindh. |
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| Sudra |
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Mahal Kohistan |
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| Parda |
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People of Southern Thar Desert of Sindh and South West Indian Desert and Katch. |
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Abhiras |
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Saravati. |
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| A town near Present Larkana. |
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Panjnad. |
| Panchnand |
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Indian Ocean (Greek Mare Prasodum). |
| Da Ksina Samundra |
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Deltaic area of Sindh and area along Rann of Kutch. |
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| Barbara (Barbarican?) | Sindh Sagra Sangam |
Kathhiawar. |
| Surastra | Surastra |
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Deltaic town probably Barbarican. |
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| Varana |
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People of Southern Thar and adjoining Indian Desert. |
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Kukura |
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People living on bank of Indus from the D.G. Khan to Kashmore. |
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Pancanads |
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7th to 6th century BC, some geographical names known from description of 16 Majananpadas by various sources.
Old Name | Location |
Sauviva. | Sukkur, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur area. |
Arithapura. | Sibi Town? |
Puruka. | Rohri and Alore (Rohri came up in the 10th century). |
Kaccha. | Kutch. |
Saurastra | Katiawar. |
Sindhu. | Indus. |
Sindhu (country). | Larkana, Shikarpur, Jacobabad and D.I. Khan Districts on the right bank of the river Indus. |
Sarsuti. | Part of the river Drishadvati through Bikanir. |
Hakra. | The Drishadvati river through Cholistan and Sindh. |
Suturdi. | Sutlej. |
Vipas. | Bias. |
Parusni. | Ravi. |
Asikni. | Chenab. |
Vitasto. | Ravi. |
560-325 BC, same geographic names as 8th-6th century BC, and with the following new names added form Panini’s grammar of Sanskrit, “Astadhyoya”.
Paninis name | Location |
Gedrosra. | Maka or Makran. |
Patala. | A new town possibly Brahmanabad or Panini’s Brahmanka Capital of parguna Brahmanka. |
Brahmanka. | Area between Indus and Hakra in the central and lower Sindh on the left bank of the Indus called Brahmanabad parguna. |
Sauviva. | Khairpur, Sukkur and Rahim Yar Khan District. |
Paraskara. | People of southern Thar desert (Tharparkar district and adjoning Indian desert up to Luni). |
Ruma. | Luni River. |
Raunka. | Rohri or Alore? |
Sakara. | Sukkur? |
Indra Vakra. | Indian and Pakistani Baluchistan. |
Sindhi Vaktra. | Deltaic area of Sindh. |
Arbhat. | Southern Kohistani people of Sindh. |
Candrabhaga. | Chenab river. |
Other rivers. | Old names as in 6th century BC. |
Sambhrayas. | People settled between Hakra and Indus in Sukkur and Rahim Yar Khan Districts (Sammas?) |
Daru Kaccha. | Kathhiawar. |
Kaccha. | Kutch |
Geographical names of 5th and 4th centuries BC.
Paninis name | Location |
Brahmanka. | Panini the Sanskrit grammarian of 5th and 4th centuries BC, mentions a town of Brahmanka and also a Parguna of Sindh called by the same name and occupying the present Hyderabad and Nawabshah and Sanghar districts on the left bank of the river Indus in the Central Sindh, Brahmanka would certainly be Brahhmanabad of later period. |
Sindhu-Vaktra. | The coastal Districts i.e., Karachi, Thatta, and Badin. |
Arabhate. | Kohistan. |
Sauvira. | Sukkur and Bahawalpur division on the left bank. |
Sindhu. | The area from Panjnad to Sehwan on the right bank of the Indus. |
Rann of Kutch. | A vest creek of sea and had fresh water in inundation months (June to September) brought by the Indus, the Hakra (Sarsuti) and the Luni rivers. |
Pari Nagar. | A port was established on the coast of this creek showing that rain-fall had increased and travels through Thar Desert was common. |
Opiai. | Hecateus based on Skylax (Greek Admiral of Derius-I) describes a tribe Piai living on left bank of the Indus, having a strong fortreess at Brahmanka or Brahmanabad whhere Darius-I stationed troops. On the east of it was the Great South-Asian Desert. |
Geographical names and their equivalents as per Roman and Greek writings (500 BC to 100 AD).
Roman and Greek Name | Modern Name |
Erythrean Sea. | Arabian Sea. |
Mare Prasodum. | Indian Ocean. |
Gedrosia. | Makran. |
Archosia. | Qandhar. |
Gandhara. | Northern Punjab and NWFP. |
Sinus Parsicus. | Persian Gulf. |
Sinus Arabicus. | Red Sea. |
Hindu (Indu). | Sindh. |
200 BC - 200 AD geographical places during Bactrian Greek, Parthian and Scythian rule of South-Asia and their present equivalents.
Old Name | Modern Name |
Barbarican. | Bhanbhore. |
Barygaza. | Broach. |
Erythean Sea (Greek). | Arabian Sea. |
Indus. | Indus. |
Hydruspes. | Jehlum. |
Mare Prasodum. | Indian Ocean. |
Minnagara. | ? |
Ozene. | Ujain. |
Pura. | Kej. |
Pasipeda. | Sehwan. |
Sagala. | Aialkot. |
Sarsuti. |