 In the Mahabharata and Ramayana it was known as Kantara or Mahakantara which later on finds mention in the historical record of Allahabad pillaring scription of Samudragupta.Mahabharata has not specified the location of Nishadha, but has referred to its capital Giriprastha which seems to have been the Maraguda valley.It is also found that this area is mentioned as Atabika territory in the rock edict of Ashok.