The Vedas had fairly detailed descriptions of Earth's geography and the far north of Eurasia i.e. the Siberian region was called Uttar Kuru (the Northern Kuru region) . There is a special mention of a lake "Vaikhanas" , which was probably the same as lake Baikal .
These unusual Vedic references to Siberia in the far North , tie in well with the "Arctic home of Vedas" :-
Indra In Russia Lake Baikal Vaikhanasa Teertha
Published on 19 Aug 2014
My research into Sanatana Dharma having spread through out the world has come to a sort of shape.
Studies on Vedas, Puranas ,Ithihasas and Tamil literature has given me a fair idea.
Cross checking this information with the geographical information with the Legends and the Physical locations of the world provide some interesting information.
I have written auite a few articles on the evidence of Sanatana Dharma being present throughout the world, with the help of archeological findings, culture and linguistics.
Sanatana Dharma was in practice in Sri Lanka,Malaysia, Cambodia,Vietnam, Laos, Philippines,Japan,Fiji,China, New Zealand, Australia on the eastern side of the present India,
Middle East, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy,Spain,France, Britain,
African Continent,
South America, Central America,Mexico and North America(US).
This Sanatana Dharma had Dravida or South India conncetion.
This becomes evident when one reads Sanskrit Literature and Hindu religious texts in conjunction with Tamil literature and cross referencing the events found in these texts with the Great floods referred to in them.
Lord Rama’s ancestor Satyavrata Manu migrated from the South , land between Goa and the Indian Ocean, to Ayodhya with his two sons.
His other son with the help of Ganesha and Shiva moved towards the West through the Arabian Sea and settled down in Europe and Africa.
This happened during the third Great Flood.
But the is another reference to the migration of the people from the Sarasvati Valley/Indus Valley towards North through Afghanistan and Russia .
A group among these moved into Europe as well.
This accounts for the migration of people from Asia into Europe in intermittent waves.
Sagara, he ancestor of Rama, more ancient than Satyavrata Manu who moved from the South to North.
This was the period when Ganga, the Ganges did not flow.
This was subsequently brought (Ganges) by Bhagiratha, Sagara’s descendant.
Sagara fought a great Battle with the Kings of the South,they were also a part of Sanatana Dharma and won.
He banished them to the west through Afghanistan and asked them not to practice Sanatana Dharama, have the heads shaved and cursed them to be called Milechas.
Milecha is the term used in a derogatory sense to indicate the people of the west.
This is also the reason for prohibiting Sanatana Dharma followers from traveling through the Ocean.
Some of these people settled down Russia and moved into Arctic as well.
Among these people who were prohibited from learning the Vedas, some of them did.
They established Sanatana Dharma and Hindu practices in the Arctic and Russia.
The descendents of this group probably came down to India at a later date through SouthEast of Russia, Afghanistan into Indus Valley.
This probably is called the present Indus Valley Civilization.
Now to the evidence of Sanatana Dharam having been present in Russia.
Airavatha Varsha as described in Puranas.Airavatha Varsha.
Lake Baikal in Russia.
In Sudharshana Dweepa ” , the rule of Sanatana Dharma was in place.
It had Bharath in the South (rectangle area in the bottom of this picture) with
Hemakuta or Himalayas in its northern limits,
an intermediary Ilavarsha to the north of Himalayas (noted in dark red square in the middle) and
a vast Airavatha varsha in extreme north of the Sudharshana dweepa.
Most of Russia is covered by Airavatha varsha.
Airavatha is the name of the elephant of Indra, the titular king of the Devas.
The Deva territory is close to the North pole where there was sunlight continuously for 6 months and darkness continuously for 6 months.
The elephant, Airavatha in all probability was the Woolly mammoth which became extinct about 10,000 years ago.
Skanda secured the release of Indra’s son, Jayanthaand killed Sura padma. (Skanda Puaana)
Skanda described in this purana coincides with Ugra kumara born to Meenakshi and Sundareswara who started the first Sangam assemblage in the South-Madurai (Then-Madurai) in Deep South about 11,000 years ago.(post on this follows)
Before the last glaciation, the territory near north pole was very much habitable. The locations called Amaravathy, capital city of Devas and Uttar Kuru existed in Siberia.
The route to Uttarkuru and Deva territories is explained in Valmiki Ramayana through the narration of Shugreevawho detailed the places to be seen and searched to find out Seetha in the north of Bharath. ( Valmiki Ramayana -4-43)
Read my post On Sugreeva’s direction to vanaras to search for Sita in Peru.
Once having crossed the vast Himalayas, he describes a pure-water lake called Vaikhanas where sages used to do penance.
This coincides with Lake Baikal.. There is an opinion that the name Russia was derived from Rishi varsha.
There is a mention of Rishi varsha in scriptures which goes well with this region. The presence of Devas in this part of the globe in a distant past had attracted sages to this place.
It is derived from the Persian word ‘rana’ or ‘ra’. But this word ‘rasa’ is a straight Sanskrit word meaning essence, juice, nectar, elixir, soup, love, the finest part of anything and so on.
This name perfectly fits with the river of fine water quality From the river’s name Rasa, the name Russia was derived.
Volga’s tributary is called as ‘Oka’. People connect it with the Latin Aqua which means water, whereas the root word Apa ins again a straight Sanskrit word meaning the same.
From Apa comes ‘aapa-saras’ the waterway and from that ‘apsaras’ the beautiful girls who enjoy playing in the aapa-saras.
This region of Russia was identified with Apsaras women. Menaka, Urvasi, Thiloththama etc were all apsara women who were known to have seduced men.
Another tributary of Volga is known by a name which is very familiar to any Hindu.
It is river ‘Moksha’ which means salvation in Sanskrit.
There is another tributary nearer to this Moksha called as “Mokswa”.
Moscow got its name from Mokswa because of its location on the banks of this river!
Article to follow on Arctic being a Home of The Vedas.
Citation.
http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.in/2011/12/guest-blogger-jayasree-saranathan.html
Regards