thumb|The cosmic tortoise, and Mount Meru Hindus believe Mount Meru to be a stairway to Svarga, a heaven where the devas reside. Meru is considered as the center of the universe and is described as 84,000 yojanas high, about , which would be 85 times the Earth's diameter. One yojana can be taken to mean about 11.5 km (9 miles), though its magnitude seems to differ over periods — for example, the Earth's circumference is 3,200 yojanas according to Varahamihira and slightly less so in the Aryabhatiya, but is said to be 5,026.5 yojanas in the Suryasiddhānta. The Matsya Purana and the Bhagavata Purana, along with some other Hindu texts, consistently give the height of 84,000 yojanas to Mount Meru, which translates into 672,000 miles or 1,082,000 kilometers. The Sun and Moon along with all the planets revolve around Mount Meru which connects the earth with the under world and heaven with Shiva residing on top of the mountain at Kailasha. Gods and devas are described as frequenting Mount Meru.
thumb|The cosmic tortoise, and Mount Meru Hindus believe Mount Meru to be a stairway to Svarga, a heaven where the devas reside. Meru is considered as the center of the universe and is described as 84,000 yojanas high, about , which would be 85 times the Earth's diameter. One yojana can be taken to mean about 11.5 km (9 miles), though its magnitude seems to differ over periods — for example, the Earth's circumfe?rence is 3,200 yojanas according to Varahamihira and slightly less so in the Aryabhatiya, but is said to be .5,026.5 yojanas in the Suryasiddhānta. The Matsya Purana and the Bhagavata Purana, along with some other Hindu texts, consistently give the height of 8.4,000 yojanas to Mount Meru, which translates into 672,000 miles or 1,0?82,000 kilometers. The Sun and Moon along with all the planets revolve around Mount Meru which connects the earth with the under world and heaven with Shiva residing on top of the mountain at Kailasha. Gods and devas are described as frequenting Mount Meru.