The Vishnu Purana, where the Evolution of the Universe is described, also describes a Number Kingdoms, there were fifty-six .
The other Seventeen Puranas also do for this for the description of the Universe and the Bharatavarsha is one of the Rules for being classified as a Purana.
There is also a tradition that there were fifty-six Kingdoms in India, this is explained in the Mahabharata, where the Story of Nala and Damayanti is narrated.
It provides a list of fifty-six kings who attended the Swayamvara of Damayanti.
The Ramayana also lists more or less the same number in the Ramayana for the Swayamvara of Sita.
Tamil Classical Literature also mentions fifty-six Kingdoms.
Now I came across information that the number of Kingdoms are not fifty-six but seventy-six,
One may note from the Sankalpa or Resolution a Hindu chants for a function includes the Line.
Jambo Dweepe.,Bharata Varshe, Bharatakkande’
‘KANDA ‘ Means Continent.
As Kanda has already been mentioned, Varsha must be larger than this but smaller than Jambudweep.
There is a view that Jambudvipa means ‘beginning from Kashmir’
The Term Jamboo means a Tree bearing a Fruit of the same name, a type of Blackberry.
I do not see any connection between this Blackberry and Kashmir..
As the text goes on to describe the geographical locations, it must be indicative of a Large Mass of Earth,smaller than a Planet, bigger than a continent.
Again the Ancients Texts mention ‘Milechas’ indicating people beyond the Bhartakanda, but not approved by the Bharatvarsha and are declared to be unfit to be called as decent as Human Beings.
Some subscribe to the view that the term Milecha means the early European tribes, including the Americans.
I do not think so.
Texts also mention about these tribes as Nomads differentiating them from those who are unfit.
So the Jambudweep must mean(Dweepa means Continent) ,a large Island Continent, possibly Atlantis.
Lemuria has been included in the Dravidian land Mass.
Now I have information from a site that lists 76 Kingdoms.
More information is welcome.
Source Ref:
http://ancientvoice.wikidot.com/kingdom-list
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Jamvudvipa is the name of the regions south of the Himalaya region as per ancient Indian texts. Some identifies this region with the Jammu region that lies to the immediate south of Himalaya in Kashmir. Others identify it with the whole of Indian peninsula that lied to the south of the Himalayan range and also consider Himalaya to be a mountain range that surrounds this region both to the west (the western mountain ranges in Pakistan , north (Himalaya proper) and east (eastern ranges in North-Eastern India and Myanmar) of it.
Below is the Ancient India Map I created in 2004. It is formerly added to Wikipedia under creative common license. It is also used by many web-sites dealing with ancient India. Jamvudwipa is the Indian Peninsular region which can be seen in this map. The smaller Jamvu region is the region south of Kasmira, between the rivers Vitasta and Chandrabhaga. It is not marked in this map.
Please read my posts on Sankalpa, Geotagging in Hinduism,Vedic period Posts under, Hinduism, Indian Philosophy,History.Astrophysics.
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Excellent information. Never seen this image before.
GREAT HISTORICAL FACTS
Reblogged this on Mayanktaker.