What Geographic Knowledge Did Valmiki Possess? Kishkindha's Substrate-Marked Naming and the Question of Deccan Contact

This research investigates a specific phonological anomaly in the Ramayana: the place name Kishkindha. Utilizing F.B.J. Kuiper’s substrate linguistic methodology, this paper identifies the -indha ending as a diagnostic marker for early Deccan and non-Aryan societies (e.g., Pulinda, Kalinda, Kundina). By cross-referencing the "Phonetic Port" of the K-nd isogloss with the 12th-century Jain records of Hemacandra and the archaeological stratigraphy of Kaundinyapur, the author argues that Valmiki’s nomenclature was not poetic invention. Instead, it represents an authentic linguistic signal derived from 5th–3rd century BCE trade routes, preserved even through the "Simian Filter" of the epic narrative.