Editing Vindhya Range (section)

== Etymology and names ==

According to the author of a commentary on ''[[Amarakosha]]'', the word Vindhya derives from the [[Sanskrit]] word ''vaindh'' (to obstruct). A mythological story (see [[#Cultural significance|below]]) states that the Vindhyas once obstructed the path of the sun, resulting in this name.<ref name="HHW_Meghaduta_1843">{{cite book |author=Kalidasa, HH Wilson |title=The Mégha dúta; or, Cloud messenger |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_GbQIAAAAQAAJ |year=1843 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_GbQIAAAAQAAJ/page/n28 19]–20}}</ref> The [[Ramayana]] states that the great mountain Vindhya that was growing incessantly and obstructing the path of the Sun stopped growing any more in obedience to Agastya's words.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.valmiki.iitk.ac.in/sloka?field_kanda_tid=3&language=dv&field_sarga_value=11|title=Sloka & Translation {{!}} Valmiki Ramayanam|website=www.valmiki.iitk.ac.in|access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref> According to another theory, the name "Vindhya" means "hunter" in [[Sanskrit]], and may refer to the [[adivasi|tribal]] [[hunter-gatherer]]s inhabiting the region.<ref name="Edward1885" />

The Vindhya range is also known as "Vindhyachala" or "Vindhyachal"; the suffix ''achala'' (Sanskrit) or ''achal'' (Hindi) refers to a mountain.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sYnXAAAAMAAJ |title=Myths and Traditions in India |author=Prabhakar Patil |publisher=BPI |year=2004 |isbn=9788186982792 |page=75 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YQIwAQAAIAAJ |title=Cultural Rights in a Global World |editor=Anura Goonasekera |editor2=Cees J. Hamelink |editor3=Venkat Iyer |publisher=Eastern Universities Press |year=2003 |page=186 |isbn=9789812102355 }}</ref> In the [[Mahabharata]], the range is also referred to as ''Vindhyapadaparvata''. The Greek geographer [[Ptolemy]] called the range Vindius or Ouindion, describing it as the source of Namados ([[Narmada]]) and Nanagouna ([[Tapti]]) rivers. The "Daksinaparvata" ("Southern Mountain") mentioned in the [[Kaushitaki Upanishad]] is also identified with the Vindhyas.<ref name="PKB" />