Anavatapta Lake
Anavatapta Lake
[阿耨池・阿耨達池・無熱池] (Skt; Jpn Anokuchi, Anokudatchi, or Munetchi)
Heat-Free Lake. A lake said to give rise to the four rivers that nurture the soil in the four quarters of Jambudvipa. Anavatapta means heat-free or not afflicted by heat. According to The Great Commentary on the Abhidharma and The Dharma Analysis Treasury, this lake lies north of the Snow Mountains and south of Mount Fragrant, and according to The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom, it lies within the Snow Mountains. The Great Commentary on the Abhidharma defines the lake's circumference as eight hundred ri (one ri is about 0.45 kilometers), and The Dharma Analysis Treasury as two hundred yojanas (one yojana is about 7 kilometers). Anavatapta Lake is bounded by shores of gold, silver, emerald, and crystal, and inhabited by a dragon king named Anavatapta. The clear, cool water is said to originate from the mouth of this dragon king and flow out from the four sides of the lake into four rivers: the GangaRiver, Sindhu River, Vakshu River, and ShitaRiver. These rivers flow respectively eastward, southward, westward, and northward, supplying water to the land of Jambudvipa.
