Editing Mount Meru (section)

==Geography==
The dimensions attributed to Mount Meru — which all refer to it as a part of the [[Cosmic Ocean]], along with several other statements that describe it in geographically vague terms (for example, "the Sun along with all the planets circle the mountain") — make the determination of its location most difficult, according to most scholars.<ref>{{cite book |title=Alberuni's India |last=Sachau |first=Edward C. |year=2001 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-415-24497-8 |page=271 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a91-t4uw8A4C&q=Meru+sun+planets+revolve&pg=PA271 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Devi Bhagavatam |at=Book&nbsp;8, Chapter&nbsp;15 |publisher=Sacred-texts.com |url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk08ch15.htm |access-date=2012-03-02}}</ref>

Several researchers identify Mount Meru or Sumeru with the [[Pamirs]], northwest of [[Kashmir]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Graham P. |last=Chapman |year=2003 |title=The Geopolitics of South Asia: From early empires to the nuclear age |page=16 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |isbn=9781409488071 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DgbHSGqO2-4C}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=George Nathaniel |last=Curzon |year=1968 |title=The Hindu World: An encyclopedic survey of Hinduism |page=184}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Benjamin |last=Walker |year=1969 |title=Hinduism: Ancient Indian tradition & mythology |series={{IAST|Purāṇas}} in Translation |page=56}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first1=Jagdish Lal |last1=Shastri |first2=Arnold |last2=Kunst |first3=G.P. |last3=Bhatt |first4=Ganesh Vasudeo |last4=Tagare |title=Oriental literature |journal=Journal of the K.R. Cama Oriental Institute |year=1928 |page=38}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Bernice Glatzer |last=Rosenthal |year=1967 |title=History: Geographical concepts in ancient India |page=50}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Bechan |last=Dube |title=India: Geographical data in the early {{IAST|Purāṇas}}: A critical study |year=1972 |page=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=M.R., Dr. |last=Singh |year=1971 |title=India: Studies in the proto-history of India |page=17}}</ref>

The [[Suryasiddhanta]] mentions that Mt. Meru lies at the centre of ''the Earth'' ("bhuva-madhya") in the land of the Jambunad ([[Jambudvīpa]]). ''Narapatijayacharyasvarodaya'',<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mishra |first=Dr. Satyendra |url=https://www.exoticindiaart.com/book/details/narapati-jayacharya-swarodayah-haa104/ |title=Narapati Jayacharya Swarodayah |publisher=Chaukhamba Surbharati Prakashan |edition=2023}}</ref> a ninth-century text, based on mostly unpublished texts of Yāmal Tantr, mentions:
: "{{IAST|Sumeruḥ}} Prithvī-madhye shrūyate drishyate na tu"
: (Sumeru is heard to be at the centre of the Earth, but is not seen there).<ref>cf. second verse of Koorma-chakra in the book Narpatijayacharyā</ref>
Several versions of cosmology can be found in existing Hindu texts. In all of them, cosmologically, the Meru mountain was also described as being surrounded by Mandrachala Mountain to the east, Suparshva Mountain to the west, Kumuda Mountain to the north, and [[Mount Kailash|Kailasha]] to the south.<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite book |first=J.P. |last=Mittal |title=History of Ancient India: From 7300&nbsp;BC to 4250&nbsp;BC |page=3}}</ref>