General information

The seven islands are जम्बूद्वीप , प्लक्षद्वीप , शाल्मलिद्वीप , कुशद्वीप , क्रौञ्चद्वीप , शाकद्वीप and पुष्करद्वीप . Each of these islands is surrounded by sea. The sea that surrounds जम्बूद्वीप is the Lavaṇa sea (salt sea), the प्लक्षद्वीप is surrounded by the sea of Sugarcane-juice, शामलिद्वीप by the sea of liquor, कुशद्वीप by the sea of ghee, क्रौञ्चद्वीप by the sea of curd शाकद्वीप by the sea of milk and the पुष्करद्वीप by the sea of pure water. In the centre of all, lies the जम्बूद्वीप and in the centre of this island, stands the golden mountain मेरु . (Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Aṃśa 2, Chapter 2)

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There is a story about the origin of these seven islands and the surrounding seas, in देवी भागवत स्कन्ध 8.

Two famous sons named प्रियव्रत and उत्तानपाद were born to स्वायम्भुव मनु . प्रियव्रत and his children ruled the country for a period of eleven arbudas, that is a hundred million years. Though he was aged so much the power of his mind and body did not show any sign of weakness. At this time he saw once the sun travelling on the first side of the earth, and began to think. "When the sun is walking on one side of the earth, the other side must naturally be dark. Will it happen so in our time? In all places at all times it should be bright and there should be no darkness." Thinking thus he got into a chariot as bright as the sun and travelled round the earth seven times. During these travels the wheels of the chariot made seven furrows on the earth. These furrows became the seven seas and the beds between the furrows became seven islands.

Sovereign powers

प्रियव्रत made his seven sons sovereigns of the seven islands. These seven sovereign rulers were अग्नीध्र , इध्मजिह्व , यज्ञबाहु , हिरण्यरेतस् , घृतपृष्ठ , मेधातिथि and वीतिहोत्र .