Antarvedī means “the inner altar”, or “the land between”. It is the doāb, the land between the rivers Gaṅgā and Yamunā, in the area of present-day Uttar Pradesh. It is one of the most sacred lands in the Purāṇic geography of northern India. The Kedāra Khaṇḍa names it as the place where Indra killed the great asura Vṛtra.

Location and meaning of the name

Antarvedī is the territory between the Gaṅgā and the Yamunā. It is also called the Doāb. The word antarvedī means “the inner altar of the yajña (fire rite)”. The land is seen as one great natural yajña-kuṇḍa (fire pit) with the two divine rivers as its boundaries. It is held to be supremely sacred because both rivers touch it. (Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kedāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 17)

Where Vṛtra died

The Kedāra Khaṇḍa names Antarvedī as the place of the last battle with Vṛtra. There the Vajra of Indra, made from the bones of Dadhīci, which were full of the Pāśupata power, killed the unconquerable asura. The death of Vṛtra made this already holy land holier still. (Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kedāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 17)

Prayāga and the meeting of the rivers

The most sacred point of Antarvedī is Prayāga. This is the saṃgama (meeting place), also called Triveṇī, where the Gaṅgā, the Yamunā and the hidden river Sarasvatī meet. This tīrtha (pilgrimage place) is linked with the Kumbha Mela and is the holiest bathing place in all of Bhārata. The whole of Antarvedī takes its holiness from being the land where these two great rivers flow towards their meeting.

Sources

Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kedāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 17