干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Vedic literature refers to a place or region by name Irina. In the Rgveda it appears as a locale frequented by a particular wild animal for drinking water. But with the passage of time, in the Yajurveda texts, the word acquires a negative meaning as a desert or a place devoid of water. Gradually, in the ritualistic Vedic texts Irina gets more and more associated with disaster or misfortune. The physical features associated with Irina, as described metaphorically in the Vedic texts, are analysed to identify its probable location. It is possible the word Irina is the progenitor of the Greek name (gulf of) Eirinon of Periplus which is presently designated as the Ran-of-Kutch. During the Rgveda period Irina was in all probability, situated a little north of the Ran-of-Kutch. Available data indicates its location in the Luni-Jawai plains west of the Aravallis, in Rajasthan. The small town Erinpura (25 degrees 5’N, 73 degrees 3’E) appears to retain memories of the Vedic Irina.