Jambudvīpa Reimagined: Entwined Histories and Stories in Kṣemendra’s Bodhisattvadāna Kalpalatā

The Bodhisattvadāna Kalpalatā, a seminal Buddhist Sanskrit work by the acclaimed 
Kashmiri poet Kṣemendra, stands as an indispensable source for understanding ancient 
Indian history. Comprising 108 detailed avadānas, this text provides extensive data 
connecting us to the past, particularly the socio-political and religious landscape of 
the Indian subcontinent, identified throughout as Jambudvīpa. The narratives detail 
conditions arguably reflective of the crucial pre- and post-Mahājanapada periods, a 
term whose antiquity is reinforced by its frequent use in major Purāṇic literature. 
This monograph, Jambudvīpa Reimagined, offers an analysis of Kṣemendra’s work. 
It presents a Partial translation of all the avadānas to fully convey their significant 
historical content. Furthermore, the study moves beyond traditional textual analysis 
to meticulously trace and document the geographical and ecological elements of the 
text—identifying flourishing cities, rivers, terrains, and the known flora and fauna. 
By scrutinizing these aspects, the research divulges ignored and neglected facets of 
the region’s socio-political, economic, and religious life, providing a comprehensive 
historical reconstruction of ancient Jambudvīpa.