Upāvṛtta is one of the major localities of ancient India. In the beginning of Bhīmaparva in Mahābhārata, through the words of Sañjaya it is mentioned along with Anupāvṛtta, Kekaya, Svarāṣṭra or Surāṣṭra. The name of this locality is also found in Vaudhāyana Dharmasūtra, where it is said that lower class people lived in Upāvṛtta and Sindhu Sauvīra, so it can be understood that the Aryans used to look down upon the inhabitants of this place. This kind of attitude was prevalent perhaps due to the hybrid nature of their varṇa-identity. —
upāvṛtsindhusauvīra ete saṃkīrṇayonayaḥ.
This information is confirmed by a statement made in Karṇaparva. There, Karṇa has referred to the inhabitants of Surāṣṭra and Sindhu-Sauvīra as low level people, who do not abide by any rule. K. C. Mishra, citing the opinion of B.C. Law, has said that the term Upāvṛtta is suggestive of ̍nearby̍. In the śloka of Mahābhārata, the mention of Upāvṛtta and Anupāvṛtta shows that these two places, near Surāṣ were inhabited tribal people. The stony inscription of the Śaka king Rudradāmana, located in Junagarh, also corroborates this.