Lata (region)

Lata (IAST: Lāṭa) was a historical region of India, located in the present-day Gujarat state.

Shakti-Sangam-Tantra, a Shakti cult text composed before 7th century CE, states that Lata was located to the west of Avanti (India) and to the north-west of Vidarbha.

According to Tej Ram Sharma, Lata's northern boundary was formed by the Mahi River, or at times, by the Narmada River. In the south, Lata extended up to the Purna River, and at times, up to Daman. It included Surat, Bharuch, Kheda and Vadodara.

According to Georg Bühler, Lata was the area between Mahi River and Kim River, and its major city was Bharuch.

The Lata region is not mentioned in the earliest of the Puranas or the Sanskrit epics. The earliest mention of the region probably comes from the writings of the 2nd century Greco-Egyptian writer Ptolemy. The Larike mentioned by him is identified with Lata by multiple scholars including H. D. Sankalia and D. C. Sircar, The Greek name might have derived from Lār-deśa ("Lār country"), the Prakrit form of Lāṭa. Ptolemy mentions that the delta of the river Mophis (identified with Mahi) and Barygaza (Bharuch) were located in Larike.

Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa mention that Prince Vijaya came from the Sinhapura city in the Lala or Lada region. This region is variously identified as Lata in Gujarat or Rarh in Bengal.

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