Kamyaka Forest was situated on the western boundary of the
Kuru Kingdom (Kuru Proper + Kurujangala), on the banks of the
Saraswati River. It lay to the west of the
Kurukshetra plain. It contained within it a lake called the
Kamyaka lake (2,51). Kamyaka forest is mentioned as being situated at the head of the
Thar desert, near the lake
Trinavindu (3,256). The Pandavas on their way to exile in the woods, left Pramanakoti on the banks of the Ganges and went towards
Kurukshetra, travelling in a western direction, crossing the rivers
Yamuna and
Drishadvati. They finally reached the banks of the
Saraswati River. There they saw the forest of Kamyaka, the favourite haunt of ascetics, situated on a level and wild plain on the banks of the Saraswati (3-5,36) abounding in birds and deer (3,5). There the Pandavas lived in an ascetic asylum (3,10). It took 3 days for Pandavas to reach the Kamyaka forest, setting out from
Hastinapura, on their chariots (3,11).