Dvipas

According to traditional mythic geography, the visible world is composed of a
series of seven concentric dvipas, a word
that literally means “islands,” but can be
translated to “landmasses.” All but one
of these are named after particular
plants. At the center is Jambu (“Roseapple”) dvipa, followed by Plaksha (“figtree”) dvipa, Salmala (“silk-cotton tree”)
dvipa, Kusha (“kusha grass”) dvipa,
Krauncha (“curlew”) dvipa, Shaka
(“Teak”) dvipa, and at the outermost
edge, Pushkara (“blue lotus”) dvipa.
Each of these lands is separated from its
neighbors by one of the seven oceans
(the saptasindhu), with each ocean
composed of a different substance. The
innermost ocean, as experience shows,
is composed of salt water, the ones
beyond this are of sugar cane juice,
wine, ghee, yogurt, milk, and sweet
water, respectively. At the center of
Jambudvipa (and thus the world) is
Mount Meru, which is compared to the
central calyx of a lotus, and is surrounded
by the dvipas as its petals. The physical
world is thus seen as a symmetrical
whole, with the land of India (in the
southern part of Jambudvipa) positioned at the symbolic center.