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37-Measurement of Distance

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Measurement of Distance in Ancient India
See also   Measurement of Distance

1 Krosh or Kos = 2 miles, 
30 Krosh or Kos = 60 miles.

Since the commentator counts ten three times, it becomes 30 Krosh. According to the latest measurements, the distance is calculated as 80 miles.

[Taken from Valmiki Ramayan 2/54/29]


The Ancient Indian measures for distance, as per Kautilya's Arth Shaastra, a republication of Penguin, are: 

1 Angul (finger wide space) = 3/4 of present day inch; 
4 Angul = Dharnugrah (bow grip) = 3 in; 
8 Angul = 1 Dhanurmushti (fist with thumb raised) = 6 in;
12 Angul = 1 Vitastaa (span-distance of stretched out palm between the tips of a person's thumb and little finger) = 9 in;
4 Vitastaa = 1 Aratni or Hast (cubit or Haath) = 18 in; 
4 Aratni (Haath) = 1 Dand or Dhanush (bow) = 6 ft; 
10 Dand or Dhanush = 1 Rajju = 60 ft; 
2 Rajju = 1 Paridesh = 120 ft; 
2000 Dand (Dhanush) = 1 Krosh or Gorut = 4000 yards or 2 1/4 miles - nearly 3.66 km;
4 Krosh = 1 Yojan = 9 miles - nearly 15 km; 

and this being so, the British revenue measured a Yojan as a 5 mile distance and Chambers and Oxfords have this 5 mile figure in their dictionaries, while traditionally a Yojan (4 Krosh or Kos) is said to be as a distance of 10 miles.

[Taken from Valmiki Ramayan 3/69]


"Yojan" is a measure of length in ancient India like the modern mile. However its value does not seem to be a standard even within India. Some consider it as six miles, some as eight miles and some as two and half miles. Hence it is difficult to have an accurate conversion from Yojan to miles.

[Taken from Valmiki Ramayan 5/1/76]

Note:  All passages are taken from Valmiki Ramayan, but all do not match among themselves.


Another Interesting Discovery
Raavan abducted Seetaa ... then Sugreev started to find where Seetaa was. Sugreev went 800 miles from Tamil Naadu .. towards Southern direction (Australia .. then it was in the landscape) till Rishabh Malai (Malai means hill)

Rishabh went by sea. Sugreev didn't find Seetaa   ......though searching for 800 miles
Landscape ....Now in the sea Lemurian continent...

A Russian scientist informed the world that a large continent had gone with sea named Lemurian continent.

 

 

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Created by Sushma Gupta on 5/27/03
Contact:  sushmajee@yahoo.com
Updated on 01/04/13