Canaan’s historical significance can be perceived from its central versified position in all ancient texts. Both religious and literary heritage of human civilization have accepted the view that Canaan, is the Heaven on earth, and this assignment of a deified position to it has caused various ancient tribes and dynasties to acquire the land which again from commercial point view stands supreme for its annual religious fair . The gathering at Canaan exhibits people of all tribes coming here not only for religious purposes but also for trading interests. Its central geographical position has been explained through astronomical sciences because of the rising of the Mogha star and the Great Bear over it. Story of Canaan thus is the story of human civilization’s rise and fall and rise again that depicts both the beginning and the end of a period of history. This was the puranic position for which reason Pali literature clearly says that invisible hanging cities are there in this region of Uttara Kuru. Homer’s Iliad speaks of Sthaneswar as Sthenes.
Canaan is also called Sri-Kantha which combines both ‘Sri’ and ‘Kantha’; it is same as Kurujangala (Katha-sarita-sagara,ch.40). Bana Bhatta in his Harsacarita (ch. iii, p.108) says that Sthanesvar (Sthanvisvara) was the capital of Sri-kantha which was the kingdom of Prabhakaravarddhan, the father of Harsha or Siladitya II and his brother Rajyavarddhana. Harsha Deva removed his capital to Kanauj from here.
It is also called ‘Sri-kshetra’ as it was the birthplace of Ahura Mazda. Hiouen Tsiang visited this place in 7th c A.D. Vamana purana sees this place as a part of Kurukshetra ; this purana also says that King Venu cured his leprosy here. Linga puja first started here. According to tantric literature, Devi’s loin fell here when Siva danced with her dead body.
According to Arya Bhatta, Mt Meru, Sthaneswara, and Ujjain(Lanka) stand in a straight line.