This World Heritage Site in Madagascar is a limestone uplands cut into ‘tsingy’ peaks; it is a spectacular ‘forest’ of limestone needles on the banks of the Manambolo River which is located in the Antsalova district in the region of the central west part of Madagascar. It is part of the Melaky region, in the autonomous province of Mahajanga, and is localized between 44°34’ to 44°57’ longitude east and 18°12’ to 19°09’ latitude south.

The site offers a wide variety of ‘geomorphological structures’, that according to Unesco, is an ‘expression of a stage of evolution of the earth in the form of a forest of sharp stones with high limestone pinnacles rising up to 100 metres… that presents impressive geological elements including karstic scenery with a highly dissected limestone massif’.

Name ‘tsingy’ identifies the geographical origin of the ancient migrants who arrived in Madagascar and gave names to its different regions with the names of their first settlements. Tsingy is as same as I-sing that also marks the ancient Manadhata River of the ancient Mallika or Melaky region in Kosala kingdom. Hiouen Tsiang’s account refers to a Kara-moto, and Kara-Toya river and Karashar which stands for Wu-i, or Wi-ki and Okini or the Acheans or Agni tribe people. Wu-i also identifies the Wutu kingdom. Here, Chinese tsing means ‘colour of the nature’ or ‘azure of the sky’. This word has been used to identify elephant’s habitat of the region.

The ‘karst’ system (limestone), and the grey karst “bristles”  and the ‘karst’ region where stress has been laid on the name ‘karst’, identifies this kingdom of Kosala or Caesarea of classical literature whose puranic name is Kesuria; the ancient name of Tureky was Tu-ho-lo which in Chinese pronounced as K’woh-si-to or Khost. It seems ‘karst’ may mark this city at the foot of the Tsung-ling mountain in Kosala kingdom, and Hwoh country was neighbourly to Khost.

Name Mahajanga is related to the seat of royal palaces, and it identifies its other counterparts like Mahanaim or Mahanama, Salajanga, and Gadajanga, and a  variety of other name-forms are also found which are associate with royal seat of power. Moh was name of a city, and Mo-ho identifies the river Mahi and the region of Mahasala, and Maha-Champa along with it.

Antsalova district means Antola or Antilo or Antarakula which identifies the border region or a buffer zone between two countries or two different tribal settlements. Here Bemaraha means Bamara or Moriha that marks name of a royal seat of power; but anciently, the name ‘Bam’ and ‘Bama’ had different geographical identity; the latter identifies the Daughters or Women and their settlement was then called Comari island near Jerusalem