Without identifying the seven mouths as Ptolemy assigns to the river Indus, scholars linked Harappan and Mahenjodaro civilization to it out of false glorification of their findings.  All the mouths of this river should be seen in a compact geographical situation which can better explain the ‘inhabited world’ itself where many of world’s dynasties appeared and disappeared on its banks. If it is seen from Pali sources then ancient Ceylon, or Kolhana, is home to some of the mouths of this river and Mt Meru also was then nearer to this country. To find this river’s mouths and source is to find the ‘whole’ of the ancient world itself.

Sagapa Mouth (110⁰ 20’ , 19⁰ 50’)

Some scholars see this mouth as the most western mouth of Indus, and identify this with Sagala, capital city of King Milinda. Others speak Alsanda or the ancient Alexandria of other literature, as capital of King Milinda. Even Sagala has been made same as Sakala, same as Sicily of the classical literature. Some other scholars see Sagapa same as Sugadha of the Avesta. But none of these places are geographically associated with the river Indus.

Sagapa Mouth of the Indus identifies Sagada or Sogdiana of the Zoroastrians. Connection of Zoroastrians with this place speaks of a history which is linked to a divine incident that happened at this place. When the Buddha was born, two streams of water, one hot and one cold, fell from the sky to wash his body.  

This place is very close to the Sangala or Salanga where Alexander built his capital at the foot of Mt Meru. It is again not far away from the city of Bucephalus where he built a town in the name of his horse on the bank of the river Koa. Sagapa mouth of Indus importantly is connected with the history of Alexander’s India invasion accounts as well as with the geographical history of the ancient world which Ptolemy suggests through his maps. Here Alexander fortified a new dockyard not only for his nearby capital city at Salanga, but also for the seat of the ancient Thebes or Sivi which is very close to this place. This mouth of the Indus identifies the home of the story of the Vessantara Jataka.

Sagada village which comes before Nimapara and after Pipil is identified with this place. Four adjacent villages in the name of ‘kona’ or ‘angle’ are found near it. Village Chitra(pilgrim’s Charitra) is neighbourly to it whose history adds glory to this place. People in ancient times who wanted to go to Ceylon had to take ships from here.

Sinthon Mouth(110⁰ 40’ , 19⁰ 50’) ; 

Sinthon occupies a very important place in ancient history as royal city of the Kolians of Devadaha. Its other name duirng Chinese pilgrim Hiouen Tsiang’s time was Sankha-tira, or Arrow-Well: Sankha means ‘Well’, and Tira means ‘Arrow’. It identifies the meeting place of two small streams of the rivers Mugei and Dhanua of the Indus. The same rivers are there at the Sagapa mouth also.

It was a place of great sport-race between the Sakyas and the Kolians. Vidudhava who burnt down the Sakya and Kolian settlements, finds its foot-prints here. There is a place called Poda, or ‘Burnt’ village near Sankha-Tira. Vedisa, or Bidisa which is linked to Asokan history is very close to this place.

As the history of the Kolians cannot be separated from the history of the Flood-story of the Bible as well as from the Flood story of the Indian puranic tradition, this place near the junction of two rivers, occupies an important place in human history.

Khrysoun Mouth(111⁰ 20’, 19⁰ 50)

Khryson Mouth is known as Hirany river, or the gold-carrying river of the ancient world which is linked to gold-carrying ants. Its name suggests that it is the ‘rapid river’ or ‘khara-suan’ which the Buddha created to detain the Lichcchavis(worshippers of Lote, or Lakuchi Tree ) of the Sravasti from entering into the land of the Mallas, or the Mallois in whose country then existed Kusinagara where he would die as he had announce it earlier. So this river identifies two countries: Mallas and Sravasti.

Pali literature mentions Kharodaka as a river in Avici flowing alongside Asipatra-vana.

River Sona defines the western boundary of Magadha. At the time of the Ramayana,(Adi,ch.32), the Sona flowed by the eastern side of Rajagriha, capital of Magadha(Megiddo of the Bible), then called Giri-vraja, or Basumati.

Siva purana(II,ch.10) calls this river as Suvarna-mukhari, or Gold-faced.  But Kalika purana mentions river Suvarna-manasa, or River Sona as a river in Kosi(Kusinagar).

Kariphron Mouth(111⁰ 40’, 19⁰ 50’) ;

This river’s name identifies the birthplace of Dionysus, the God of the vine;  Kari-phron is same as Charax(of Pliny) or Chari-Sri. This is a wonderful place on the bank of the river Sona, the eastern most point of it near Nalikara, another royal seat of the ancient world.

Name of Dionysus is deeply attached to the history of ancient Greece and to the House of Cadmus as well as to Mt Meru. The primordial vineyard of the ancient world marks this mountain as its original home. Alexander’s soldiers scaled this mountain to have a taste of the vines. Story of vines is well described in all ancient texts.

Alexander visited Chari-Sri, the birthplace of Dionysus and offered his sacrifices there.

Sapara Mouth(112⁰ 30’, 19⁰ 50’) ;

Ptolemy’s peripheral map of the ‘inhabited world’, which is called the map of Jambudvipa, puts Soopars to the north of Ilabruta. It is also called Sippara,   and the Periplus mentions it as the sea-port Suppara.

Pali literature shows it as a place in ancient Ceylon whose inhabitants were known in the same name, but are identified with Savaras. A mountain in the name of Sappa-sondika was near Rajagriha also puts this place in ancient Magadha region. But Sapara mouth of the river Indus is best recognised with   the river Sappini which was then flowing in Rajagraha. It is identified with Panchana river.

Another geographical identity of Sappini river is that it was then considered as a river in Giriyeka, same as Girinagara of history, and its biblical name is connected with Mt Gerizium at the centre of the world. The region around this mountain identifies the southern extension of Mt Meru, and as a stronghold of the Scythians, ancient picture of its historical settlements is preserved in various Eratosthenes’’s, Ptolemy’s and Periplus maps.

Parsurama is said to have resided in the Chaturangana hill of Surparaka-kshetra(Mbh,Santi,ch.49) ; The Bhagavata(X,ch.79) places it on the north of Gokarna. It was ancient capital of Aparanta.

Sabaiaessa Mouth(113⁰ , 20⁰ 15’)

In Milindapanha, Savara is mentioned as a tribe; and according to Pali sources, Sava was a stronghold of a tribe in this name in Rohana, a place in ancient Ceylon. In Jataka stories, Rohana’s name is linked with name of a lake in Himava, or in the region of Mt Meru. Sabbagiri-vihara which is also called Piphali-vihara is identified with Sonagiri in Ceylon. This is linked to the river Soan or Khry-soun, another mouth of the Indus. It seems both Sabbaiaessa and Sapara are locked in one region, or on both sides of the same river.

 

Lonibare Mouth(113⁰ 30’ , 20⁰ 15’) :

Lonibare mouth of the river Indus is the western most mouth of this river which identifies the river Ajakarini, or Ajitavati; its other name is Achiravati on the bank of which ancient Sravasti situated.

According to Pali sources, Sabbaka Thera of Savatthi lived in the Lonagiri-vihara on the bank of the river Ajiravati. In some other Pali texts, Lonagiri is mentioned as a river near Mahakhiragrama in Ceylon(Kolhana). And the latter was a place in Nagadvipa.

Near Lonagiri was the seat of ancient Okkala-desa on both sides of the banks of the river Indus; Okkals or Orkal was neighbourly to ancient Ujjain; the latter was again share the same latitude with ancient Lanka.