My mother gave me this verse from Valmiki Ramayana and asked me to research on where Mount. Krauncha could be in the current world.
The following is the verse and translation.
क्रौन्चम् तु गिरिम् आसाद्य बिलम् तस्य सुदुर्गमम् |
अप्रमत्तैः प्रवेष्टव्यम् दुष्प्रवेशम् हि तत् स्मृतम् || ४-४३-२५ Valmiki Ramayana
Translation:
Thereafter on reaching Mount. Krauncha, you shall cautiously enter into a highly impassable tunnel of that mountain to search Sita. That tunnel, they say is an un-enterable one.
My Research Below:
Thereafter on reaching Mount. Krauncha, you shall cautiously enter into a highly impassable tunnel of that mountain to search Sita. That tunnel, they say is an un-enterable one.
My Research Below:
I first searched for Mount. Krauncha in Google Search. In Wikipedia, I found the following details.
Krauncha Giri is the abode of Subramanya in South India. It is located 10 km from Sandur in Bellary district in Karnataka. Unique feature of this mountain is its elliptical shape with a diametric narrow pass. According to legend, this gap is made when Karthikeya pierced the mountain in the battle with the demon Taraka with this spear weapon 'Vel' to kill the demons who were inside the mountain. These legends comes from Mahabharata Salya Parva 46 and Asura Kanda of Skanda Purana.
Krauncha Giri is the abode of Subramanya in South India. It is located 10 km from Sandur in Bellary district in Karnataka. Unique feature of this mountain is its elliptical shape with a diametric narrow pass. According to legend, this gap is made when Karthikeya pierced the mountain in the battle with the demon Taraka with this spear weapon 'Vel' to kill the demons who were inside the mountain. These legends comes from Mahabharata Salya Parva 46 and Asura Kanda of Skanda Purana.
Later, I was intrigued by an image shown in Google images and I clicked on that image link. Here are some details I found from a blog vediccafe.blogspot.in
One of the best known ancient tunnel in China is the Guoliang Tunnel in Taihang Mountains. According to this author, the Krauncha of Ramayana could be one of the peaks in Taihang Range which indicates that the ancient tunnel in there may be the one mentioned in Ramayana.
I searched for Taihang Mountains in google an could not find interesting information. I looked for information for Guoliang Tunnel. Wikipedia had these details.
I searched for Taihang Mountains in google an could not find interesting information. I looked for information for Guoliang Tunnel. Wikipedia had these details.
The Guoliang tunnel is carved along the side of and through a mountain in China. The tunnel links the village of Guoliang to the outside through the Tailang Mountain which are situated in Huixian, Xinxiang, Henan Province of China.To ease the villagers' access to outside world, a group of villagers led by Shen Mingxin made plans in 1972 to carve a road into the side of the mountain.
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| Image Source: http://www.losapos.com/guoliang_tunnel_road |
According to me, the Krauncha Giri that Sugreeva mentioned could be the Krauncha Giri of Karnataka. I think so because this mountain has a passage which is difficult for human beings to get in. Whereas Guoliang Tunnel seems to be having roads made by human beings. Cars go through them, it is a connection between a village and the outside world, I wonder if it is man made entirely.
Me and my mother had a short debate. According to my mother, the Krauncha mountain Sugreeva mentioned could be the Guoliang tunnel firstly because it is an ancient natural tunnel. It is only later when humans constructed a road inside the tunnel. Secondly, it is a tunnel. Mom says Sugreeva mentioned it is a tunnel (Bilam means tunnel, Asadhya Bilam means a tunnel where it is difficult to enter). Moreover, this tunnel is in the North (in China) from where Sugreeva and the monkey army were when they had the discussion. Sugreeva in this Kishkinda kanda was instructing his vanara army to go up North and find this tunnel, whereas Karnataka was not in North. So mom thinks Guoliang tunnel is the one that is mentioned by Sugreeva in the Ramayana.
Me and my mother had a short debate. According to my mother, the Krauncha mountain Sugreeva mentioned could be the Guoliang tunnel firstly because it is an ancient natural tunnel. It is only later when humans constructed a road inside the tunnel. Secondly, it is a tunnel. Mom says Sugreeva mentioned it is a tunnel (Bilam means tunnel, Asadhya Bilam means a tunnel where it is difficult to enter). Moreover, this tunnel is in the North (in China) from where Sugreeva and the monkey army were when they had the discussion. Sugreeva in this Kishkinda kanda was instructing his vanara army to go up North and find this tunnel, whereas Karnataka was not in North. So mom thinks Guoliang tunnel is the one that is mentioned by Sugreeva in the Ramayana.
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