Lanka
अट्टालकशताकीर्णां पताकाध्वजशोभिताम् ।५/२/१७॥
(Lanka) had hundreds of lofty mansions and was decorated by flags and banners.
जाम्बूनदमयैर्द्वारैः वैडूर्यकृतवॆदिकैः ।
वज्रस्फटिकमुक्ताभिः मणिकुट्टिमभूषितैः ।
तप्तहाटकनिर्यूहै राजतामलपाण्डुरैः ।
वैडूर्यकृतसोपानैः स्फाटिकान्तरपांसुभिः ।
चारुसञ्जवनोपेतैः खमिवोत्पतितैः शुभैः ।
क्रौञ्चबर्हिणसंघुष्टै राजहंसनिषेवितैः ।
तूर्याभरणनिर्घोषैः सर्वतः प्रतिनादिताम् ।
वस्वोकसारप्रतिमां तां वीक्ष्य नगरीं ततः ।
खमिवोत्पतितुंकामां जहर्ष हनुमान् कपिः ॥५/३/९-१२॥
Hanuman, the monkey, felt happy looking at the city of Lanka which was like the capital of Kubera and which looked as if it was wanting to jump up to the skies. Lanka had Golden entrances with platforms made of lapis lazuli. The doors of the entrances were inlaid with diamond, quartz and pearl and the floors were made of gems. It had golden turrets with lapis-lazuli steps and interiors made of quartz. It had beautiful assembly halls. The city, frequented by swans, reverberated with the sounds of herons, peacocks, toorya pipes and ornaments.
सिताभ्रसदृशैश्चित्रैः पद्मस्वस्तिकसंस्थितैः ।
वर्धमानगृहैश्चापि सर्वतः सुविभूषिता ॥५/४/७॥
Lanka shone brightly with different types of mansions like Padma,Swastika and Vardhamana which looked like white clouds.
Tirtha comments that padma,svastika and vardhamaana are names of royal residences of different shapes. He quotes: " चतुश्शाला चतुर्द्वारा सर्वतोभद्रसंज्ञिता। पश्चिमद्वाररहिता मध्यावर्ता हयानना। दक्षिणद्वाररहिता वर्धमाना धनप्रदा। प्राग्द्वाररहिता स्वस्तिकाख्या पुत्रधनप्रदा।". Govondaraaja comments that the details are in varahamihirasamhita.
लतागृहाणि चित्राणि चित्रशालागृहाणि च ।
क्रीडागृहाणि चान्यानि दारु पर्वतकानि च ॥५/६/३६-३७॥
Hanuman saw colorful bowers, picture galleries and sports pavilions and artificial mountains made of wood.
Fortification of Lanka
हृष्टप्रमुदिता लङ्का मत्तद्विपसमाकुला ।
महती रथसंपूर्णा रक्षॊगुणसमाकुला ॥
वाजिभिश्च सुसंपूर्णा सा पुरी दुर्गमा परैः ।
दृढबद्धकवाटानि महापरिघवन्ति च ॥
द्वाराणि विपुलान्यस्याश्चत्वारि सुमहान्ति च ।
तत्रेषूपलयन्त्राणि बलवन्ति महान्ति च ॥
आगतं परसैन्यं तु तत्र तैः प्रतिहन्यते ॥
द्वारेषु संस्कृता भीमाः कालायसमयाः शिताः ।
शतशो रचिता वीरैः शतघ्न्यो रक्षसां गणैः ॥
सौवर्णश्च महांस्तस्याः प्राकारो दुष्प्रधर्षणः ।
मणिविद्रुमवैदूर्यमुक्ताविरचितान्तरः ॥
सर्वतश्च महाभीमाः शीततोयवहाः शुभाः ।
अगाधा ग्राहवत्यश्च परिखा मीनसेविताः ॥
द्वारेषु तस्याः चत्वारः सङ्क्रमाः परमायताः ।
यन्त्रैरुपेता बहुभिर्महद्भिर्गृहपङ्क्तिभिः ॥
त्रायन्ते सङ्क्रमास्तत्र परसैन्यागमे सति ।
यन्त्रैस्तैरवकीर्यन्ते परिखासु समन्ततः ॥६/३/१०-१७॥
Lanka is a city of joy and pleasure. It is full of horses and rutting elephants. It is full of chariots. It has four huge fort-entrances provided with strong doors having strong locking bars. It has strong and huge stone-catapults. Armies of the enemies which reach there will be destroyed by them. Rakshasas have constructed at the entrances hundreds of Shataghnee's which are well-designed, sharp, of giant size and made of iron. The golden fort-wall, inlaid with gems, corals, lapis-lazuli and pearls is impregnable. All-round there are very deep and large moats through which flows cold water full of fishes and crocodiles. In the gate-ways there are large draw-bridges which are provided with machines and which are lined with houses. On arrival of hostile armies, these machines will protect the draw-bridges and fling the hostile forces into the moats.
लङ्का पुनर्निरालम्बा देवदुर्गा भयावहा ।
नादेयं पार्वतं वान्यं कृत्रिमं च चतुर्विधम् ॥६/३/२०॥
Fearsome Lanka is not accessible by Devas even and has four types of fortification:- man-made and in the form of a river, mountain and forest.
निविष्टा तत्र शिखरे लङ्का रावणपालिता ।
दशयोजनविस्तीर्णा विंशद्योजनमायता ॥
सा पुरी गोपुरैरुच्चैः पाण्डराम्बुदसन्निभैः ।
काञ्चनेन च सालेन राजतेन च शोभिता ॥
प्रासादैश्च विमानैश्च लङ्का परमशोभिता ।
घनैरिवातपापाये मध्यमं वैष्णवं पदम् ॥
यस्यां स्तंभसहस्रेण प्रासादः समलङ्कृतः ।
कैलासशिखराकारो दृश्यते खमिवोल्लिखन् ॥
चैत्यः स राक्षसेन्द्रस्य बभूव पुरभूषणम् ।
बलेन रक्षसां नित्यं यः समग्रेण रक्ष्यते ॥ ६/३९/२०-२४ ॥
Situated at the top of mountain Trikoota, Lanka protected by Ravana is ten yojanas long and twenty yojanas wide. The city looked beautiful with its tall towers and silvery and golden fortifications and mansions and spires. The city looked like the sky with autumnal clouds. In that city there was Ravana's mansion which had hundred pillars and which looked like kailasa mountain and as if it was scraping the sky. The mansion which was protected by the complete army of the rakshasas was the ornament of the city.
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