Was Kishkinda situated in present day Karnataka State of India?

 Sri Rama while roaming in Dandaka Forest, alongwith Sita and Lakshmana, spent 10 years, out of 14 years of exile period.

तत्र संवसतः तस्य मुनीनाम् आश्रमेषु वै || ४-११-२६

रमतः च आनुकूल्येन ययुः संवत्सरा दश |

“While Raghava stayed comfortably taking delight in those hermitages of sages, indeed ten years have smoothly elapsed”. 

Thereafter, Sri Rama requests Sage Agastya to indicate a place in the forest to make a residence during the remaining days of exile. Sage Agastya informs Sri Rama to proceed to Panchavati, near river Godavari, where Seetha will be delightful of its surroundings. 

Sri Rama spent 3 years at Panchavati and in beginning of the last year Ravana abducted Sita.  Hence, Sri Rama spent the ramaining 14^th year in search of Seeta, befriending Sugriva at Rishyamuka mountain, spending some time in Kishkinda, starting his war expedition towards Ravana’s Lanka from Kishkinda and finally in fighting with Ravana in Lanka.

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A crucial question arise as to where the Panchavati and Kishkinda were situated at. 

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Many scholars/devotees of Sri Rama declared different route maps, depicting Sri Rama's journey during the exile period of 14 years.

a) The most popular one, considering Panchavati as situated on the left banks of sacred river Godavari in Nashik city, was pasted below.

b)  In Southern India, it was strongly believed that, Panchavati was situated near Parnasala at Bhadrachalam in Telangana State of India.

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So whether it was from Panchavati in Maharashtra State or Parnasala in Telangana State, after Sita's abduction in the 14th year, it can be understood from Valmiki’s Ramayana that Sri Rama and Lakshmana crossed River Godavari and finally reached Kishkinda.

 The popular notion of Kishkinda is present day Karnataka.

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 Sage Valmiki did not clearly mention as to the position of Sage Suteekshna in the Dandaka Forest.  It was Sage Suteekshna, who gave directions to Sri Rama to Sage Agastya's hermitage.

योजनानि आश्रमात् तात याहि चत्वारि वै ततः |

दक्षिणेन महान् श्रीमान् अगस्त्य भ्रातुर् आश्रमः || ४-११-३७

"On your going four yojana-s from this hermitage, oh, dear Rama, there is the great and glorious hermitage of Agastya's brother on the southern side."

दक्षिणाम् दिशम् आस्थाय वन षण्डस्य पार्श्वतः || ४-११-४०

तत्र अगस्त्य आश्रम पदम् गत्वा योजनम् अन्तरम् |

"On going one yojana beyond, taking the southward course on the side of the forest clump you will find Agastya's hermitage."

Hence, Sri Rama travelled 5 yojanas ,i.e,, 65 Kms (13 x 5 )  in Southern direction for reaching Sage Agastya's hermitage.

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 Sage Agastya directed Sri Rama to dwell at Panchavati, which is nearer to his hermitage.

 So Panchavati was nearly at a distance of two yojana-s ,ie., 26 Kms  from Sage Agastya's hermitage.  Therefore, we cannot exactly fix the place of Panchavati, taking clues from Srimad Ramayana, unless we are sure of the location of Sage Agastya's hermitage. 

 It can be anywhere along the course of river Godavari or its tributaries, as we do not know whether people of that era used to call which river with which name!

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After performing the last rites of the bird Jatayu, near Panchavati, Sri Rama travels nearly 3 Krosa or 11 Kms distance before reaching Krauncha Forest.

ततः परम् जनस्थानात् त्रि क्रोशम् गम्य राघवौ |

क्रौंच अरण्यम् विविशतुः गहनम् तौ महौजसौ || ३-६९-५

 Thereafter, both the highly vigorous Raghava-s have entered the impassable Kraunca forest, on going three krosa-s from Janasthaana. 

ततः पूर्वेण तौ गत्वा त्रि क्रोसम् भ्रातरु तदा |

क्रौंचारण्यम् अतिक्रम्य मातंग आश्रम अंतरा || ३-६९-८

 Then, both the brothers on passing over that Kraunca forest and on going from there eastwardly on a three-krosha route, those sons of Dasharatha have seen a horrendous forest in between Kraunca forest and Matanga hermitage.

After having a fight with Kabandha,  and upon his direction the 2 brothers travelled in Western direction and reached Pampa and Rishyamuka mountain, where Sugriva was hiding from Vali. 

 After fighting with Dundubhi, Vali killed him and hurled the dead body of Dundubhi from Kishkinda, a Yojana’s distance, i.e, 13 km distance.

 

तम् तोलयित्वा बाहुभ्याम् गत सत्त्वम् अचेतनम् |
चिक्षेप वेगवान् वाली वेगेन एकेन योजनम् || ४-११-४७

"Then the hastiest Vali swayed that dead and inanimate demon with both of his hands and hurled him a yojana distance in a single flick.

 So Kishkinda is not much far off from Rishyamuka mountain.

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Sri Rama was in Kishkindha kingdom when Sri Hanuman brought the news of Sita being alive in Lanka.

Sri Rama started from Kishkindha kingdom in southern direction towards Ravana’s Lanka and reached Sahya Mountain enroute to ocean.

 

ततः पादप सम्बाधम् नाना मृग समाकुलम् |

सह्य पर्वतम् आसेदुर् मलयम् च मही धरम् || ६-४-७२

 "Then, those monkeys reached and climbed up a mountain called Sahya with a full canopy of trees and filled with many kinds of beasts."

 The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri mountain range, is a mountain range that covers an area of 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) in a stretch of 1,600 km (990 mi) parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, traversing the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The question is as to why Sri Rama started from Karnataka and travelling in southern direction reached Sahyadri in Maharashtra, which is Northern direction?

Then another Sahya mountain might have existed in Southern parts to the present day Karnataka area.

(Or)

Kishkinda might have been existed in the northern direction to the present-day Maharashtra.

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Again when sending the troops to Southern direction in search of Sita, Sugriva orders them to start their search from Vindhya Mountains.

तेषाम् अग्रेसरम् चैव बृहद् बलम् अथ अंगदम् |

विधाय हरि वीराणाम् आदिशद् दक्षिणाम् दिशम् || ४-४१-६

 Sugreeva made the formidably mighty Angada as the chief of those valiant monkeys forming search party and ordered southern direction for them. 

 सहस्र शिरसम् विंध्यम् नाना द्रुम लता आयुतम् |

नर्मदाम् च नदीम् रम्याम् महोरग निषेविताम् || ४-४१-८

 "Search the thousand crested Vindhya mountains abounding with numerous tress and climbers, then the delightful Narmada river coursing a little southerly to that range, which is adored by great snakes”.

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Vindhya mountain runs north of and roughly parallel to the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh. Depending on the definition, the range extends up to Gujarat in the west, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the north, and Chhattisgarh in the east.

Narmada river flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat in India.

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Now a question arises, if Kishkinda was in area of present day Karnataka state, why should Sugriva ordered vaanaras to start their search from Vindhya mountains, which are located in Madhya Pradesh area?

Any sane person will decide the 4 directions, ie., North, South, East and West, according to his place only, but not somewhere else.

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Hence, Kishkinda might have have been located in the area of present day Madhya Pradesh or Chattisgarh only, but not Karnataka state, as commonly believed.

People of that era might be referring to the tributaries of Godavari river,ie., Wainganga, Indravati and Sabari rivers, as Godavari, which originate in Chattisgarh/Odissha area and merges in river Godavari.

And, Panchavati might have existed along the banks of river Wainganga or Indravati or Sabari.