We have just deployed a map of India as it is known in the Early Buddhist Texts. The map depicts the towns, cities, countries, and other places of interest in the Buddha’s life. But by plotting these on an interactive contemporary online map, we hope to bring the Buddha’s world a little closer.
As users of this forum will know, credit for the map is largely due to our wonderful Ayya @Vimala and user @Aminah. Sadhu! Sadhu! It is an idea I’ve been hoping to see for many years, and thanks to them it’s now a reality.
The map will normally show up beside the results in the dictionary pages for relevant places. For example, here is the entry for Vesali. We don’t have any immediate plans to use it in other ways, but suggestions are welcome as always.
If you have questions or corrections regarding the details of the map, please let us know on the relevant thread. Some places are very easy to identify with confidence: there’s a large rock shaped like a vulture on the Vulture’s Peak, so we know exactly where this is.
For other places we can only say in general terms, or take a vague guess. This probably reflects knowledge at the time; the Dakkhiṇapatha was probably little more than a “southern region” to the people of Magadha, for example.
Improvements and corrections for the map will be ongoing, but as it is we think we’ve plotted the majority of those places that can be known with any confidence.