Vedas have described that Gods reside at north direction and one day for them is equivalent to one year for humans.This was based on idea that north pole has six months of sunlight and six months of darkness, which makes it day and night for one year.Varaha Mihir, one the most famous Indian astronomer (around 6th century AD), identified North Pole as the location of Meru in his celebrated work Panch-siddhāntikā.

Indian Historian and Freedom-fighter, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, in his phenomenal work titled, ‘The Arctic Home of the Vedas‘, written in late 19th century, gives an extremely detailed as well as convincing account based on the literary evidence of various Slokas from Rig Veda and the Zoroastrian Avesta that point to an Arctic Home of the ancient People of Vedic Ancient Civilizations.

Surya Siddantha mentions a Meru in the middle of Earth, a Sumeru at the North Pole and a Kumeru at the South pole.Which means that the structure called Meru stretches from pole to pole and Hell exists at South Pole, just like Heaven at North Pole.

Meru does not refer to a mountain at all but instead is an allegory for the Earth’s Axis of Rotation.Ancient scriptures describe Meru as the Central Pivot of the Universe, sort of like an Axis mundi, and claim that the entire COSMOS revolves around it, with the Sun, Moon and Stars paying obeisance while circum-ambulating the Holy Mountain.

Interestingly there is a Mount Meru in Tanzania, which roughly corresponds to the geographic Center of the Earth.The Mountain is even worshipped by the local tribes as an abode of Gods.In the neighbouring country Kenya, we also find a town with the same name.Another ancient Sanskrit text, the Narpatijayacharya mentions Sumeru as being present in the middle of the Earth, but not visible to humans.