Central Suriname Nature Reserve is a tropical forest region which ‘protects the upper watershed of the Coppername River and the headwaters of the Lucie, Zuid, Saramaccz, and Gran Rio Rivers…..’. It links up with three pre-existing Nature Reserves named Raleighvallen, Eilerts de Haan and Tafelberg.  They are mostly comprised of primary tropical forest in west-central Suriname, a part of the Guiana Shield within the phylogeographic limits of Amazonia.

According to Unesco, ‘Several distinctive geological and physical formations occur in the Central Suriname Nature Reserve, including granite inselbergs that rise up to 360 m.a.s.l. above the surrounding tropical forest. The eastern-most table top mountain or “Tepui” of the Guiana Shield is located in the Reserve and there is the Wilhelmina Mountain Range in the South culminating at Juliana Top, Suriname’s highest elevation at 1,230 m.a.s.l’.

Pali sources speak of Kappakandara as name of a place, name of a river and also name of a monastery. And Suriname refers to a gotra or clan called ‘Suriya’ to which Kassspa belonged. Suriya also was the name of a deva or God that identifies God Sun or Rabi, same as Ra and Rio; Suirndavati was name of a city that identifies the ancient settlement of Suriya(also sura, means deva) people. Gran Rio River pinpoints the ancient Granokos who were then living on the bank of the Graniko River where Alexander was opposed by Darius.

Lucie—Lakuci Tree or Lote Tree or the Licchavis

Zuid—Zered or Jarudhira

Saramaccz—Sara-macccz or place of Mokkaswara; God of Salvation

Raleighvallen—Ra-Alborg mountain; God at Alborg called Yaksha Allavaka

Eilerts de Haan—Ilabruta of Han country or Mt Imaos

Afelberg—Abel-berg

Nselbergs—Naisadha or country of Nysa at the foot of the Mt Imaos

Wilhelmina Mountain—Kolhana mountain

Juliana Top—Volcano

Guiana Shield—Gundi forest or the Gond forest