Africa has many beautiful rivers and one of them is the Gambia as it snakes its way for some 700 miles across the Republic of Senegal towards the Atlantic Ocean and along this river we find what appears to be Sanskrit place names.

 

Mansa Kunda, Sese Kunda, Baja Kunda, Yamal Kunda, Sara Kunda, Sankuli Kunda, Kuta Kunda, Koli Kunda, Bara Kunda, Sandala Kunda, Kamyama Kunda, and Saba Kunda, all names on either side of the Gambia and all Sanskrit names.

 

Mora Kunda, Morta Kunda, Farin Kunda, Foley Kunda, Tomba Kunda, Baro Kunda, Kuoba Kunda, Damfa Kunda, Mane Kunda, Giroba Kunda, Yoro Beri Kunda, Fula Kunda, Sere Kunda, all upon each side of the Gambia river.

 

 

'Kunda' is composed of 'Ku' a root within Sanskrit whose original meaning is 'twisted' 'crooked' 'bent' which then becomes 'Kunda' whose primal meaning is 'depression' 'curvature' 'declivity' which then comes to mean 'bowl' 'basin' 'lake'.

As place names within the lands of India we see kunda expressed as either a 'lake' or 'hill' as seen in the lakes of 'Radha Kunda' and 'Shyama Kunda' and as seen within 'Nagarjuna Konda' meaning the hill ( kunda ) of nagarjuna.

Within the local language of Gambia we find that kunda means 'place' or 'city' and as Gambia is a place of flat topped hills and valleys where these towns have sprung its reasonable to say that a 'Kunda' once described a high ground or hill.

 

 

18th century maps of Gambia show the place names 'Yamal Kunda' and 'Mora Kunda' and also 'Morta Kunda' meaning the place ( kunda ) of death ( morta ) and this is cognate with 'Marta' and 'Mara' words within Sanskrit meaning 'death'.

 

'Yamal Kunda' resides nearby whose name 'Yamal' is a word within Sanskrit meaning 'twins' referring to 'Yama' the god of death and 'Yami' his sister and further along the river, the map shows in big bold letters, the region of 'Yami'.

 

As well as being the sister of the god of death 'Yami' is the sacred river of India known as 'Yamuna' and upon the map it shows 'Yami' directly below the region of 'Yamina' a mirror image of the Sanskrit 'Yamal' 'Yami' 'Yamuna'.

 

 

Just below the regions of 'Yami' and 'Yamina' the map shows the river 'Indea' and nearby on the left is the river 'Sanjali' and directly below 'Indea' we find the river 'Kalamina' all of which seem to be Vedic and Sanskrit and Indian.

 

'Sanjali' is a compound of 'Anjali' meaning to 'join palms in reverence' and 'San' meaning 'together' hence to join the hands ( anjali ) together ( san ) in reverence and a word from Sanskrit which seems unlikely to appear by coincidence.

 

'Kalamina' was once the name of at least one city which is seen in the lands of India and to see so many names such as Morta, Yamal, Yami, Yamina and the rivers Indea, Kalamina, Sanjali, seems beyond the realms of coincidence.

 

The map shows the river Gambia as it enters the Sea and nearby we see 'Mansa Kunda' a name very similar to 'Manasa' a word within Sanskrit meaning 'mind' and seen in the lakes of India such as 'Manasa Sarovar' and 'Manasa Ganga'.

 

'Mansa' is a royal title whose meaning is 'Emperor' and 'King' as seen within 'Mansab' which denotes a position of authority and yet we see no reason why 'Mansa' should mean "King".

 

African Kings were seen as divine representatives of God and dispensers of law and justice and the Sanskrit 'Manasa' meaning 'that which thinks' 'that which is spiritual' and 'that which has mental powers' may be quite appropriate.

 

 

As we travel along the Gambia observing all these 'Kundas' many accompanied by Sanskrit names such as 'Yamal Kunda' 'Sara Kunda' 'Kuta Kunda' we travel through Senegal and the lands of Mali until we reach Nigeria and the river Niger.

 

Maps show how the first town is 'Kanika' a word within Sanskrit meaning 'grain' and 'seed' and from there we encounter 'Balaba' a word from Sanskrit meaning 'strength' and 'Calamana' a word in Sanskrit meaning 'black'.

 

The next town is 'Gangu' followed by 'Yamina' and its difficult not to think of 'Ganga' and 'Yamuna' and as we continue we come to 'Kamalia' which is very similar to 'Kamala' a word within Sanskrit meaning 'lotus'.

 

 

Standing upon the tip of Cape Comorin one sees the Indonesian ocean and the Indo/chinese peninsula whose countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bali, Java, Cambodia, Sumatra, were once part of a greater India.

Observing these lands we inquire whether the culture of Vedic India were incapable of looking right. As one considers Indias influence to the left of Cape Comorin one must conclude that a similar influence occurred to the right.

Vedic culture once pervaded Afghanistan and Persia and the Middle East and on throughout Egypt and Africa and although not so obvious the evidence is there from the Merus of Tanzania to the Nagas of Ethiopia to the Kundas of Gambia.

 

 

"That the Africans, have to a geographical extent, been Hindus, I am disposed to suggest, and I expect to find my view confirmed by the discovery of Hindu remains in architecture, ect" Edward Moor.

 

"The Ethiopians came in ancient times from the River Indus, established themselves in Egypt between the Nile and the sea, towards the south, in the equatorial regions." St. Isidore  -  Etymologiarium ( IX.2.128 )

 

"The Hindus had an immemorial affinity with the Persians, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Tuscans, Scythians, Celts, Chinese, Japanese, and Peruvians." Sir William Jones.