Airāvat Kṣetra
The northernmost region. One part in 190, and the exact mirror of Bharat in every respect including its history.
Airāvat has its own Vaitāḍhya, its own pair of rivers (Raktā and Raktodā), its own six khaṇḍas and its own Ārya khaṇḍa. It is a land of action, so austerity and liberation are possible here.
The Kāla Cakra turns here too, and in step: when Bharat is in its fifth descending spoke, so is Airāvat. Twenty-four Tīrthaṅkaras appear in each half-cycle here, exactly as in Bharat, and their names are different.
This symmetry matters for the count of teachers. At the theoretical maximum the whole human world can hold 170 Tīrthaṅkaras at once — one for each land of action, five Bharats, five Airāvats, and 160 vijayas.
Airāvat is not Airāvaṇa. This is a region; Airāvaṇa is the god who becomes the elephant Indra rides to a Tīrthaṅkara. The two names are close enough that sources outside the tradition regularly merge them, and Hemacandra never does.
माप और संख्याएँ
| Share of Jambūdvīpa | 1 part of 190 |
|---|---|
| North–south extent | 526 6⁄19 yojana |
| Divisions | 6 khaṇḍas |
| Rivers | Raktā, Raktodā |
| Land of action? | yes |
| Time cycle | runs here, in step with Bharat |
| Not to be confused with | Airāvaṇa, the elephant |
संबंधित
Raktā
Airāvat's eastern river, the northern counterpart of the Gaṅgā.
It rises from Puṇḍarīka Draha, crosses Airāvat Kṣetra and empties into the salt ocean. Its twin on the other side of the region is Raktodā.
| Rises from | Puṇḍarīka Draha |
|---|---|
| Crosses | Airāvat Kṣetra |
| Flows | east |
| Twin | Raktodā |
| Ends in | Lavaṇa Samudra |
Raktodā
Airāvat's western river, the northern counterpart of the Sindhu. Also called Raktavatī.
It rises from Puṇḍarīka Draha, crosses Airāvat Kṣetra and empties into the salt ocean. Its twin on the other side of the region is Raktā.
| Rises from | Puṇḍarīka Draha |
|---|---|
| Crosses | Airāvat Kṣetra |
| Flows | west |
| Twin | Raktā |
| Ends in | Lavaṇa Samudra |