The Memoirs of Jahāngīr (Jahāngīrnāma) 42: Kambay.

42

On Friday we travelled a distance of six kos and a half, and the tents were pitched on the sea-shore. Khambait (Kambay) is a very ancient port, and according to the Brahmins many thousand years have elapsed since its foundation. In the beginning it was called Trimbawati, and Raja Nar Singh Makhwar was its ruler. It would be very tedious to detail the account of this Raja as given by the Brahmins. To be brief, when the chiefship devolved on Raja Abhi Kumar, who was a descendant of his, by the will of heaven a great calamity fell upon this city. A shower of dust and dirt fell, and buried all the houses and buildings, and destroyed a great number of people. Before the occurrence of this catastrophe, an idol, which the Raja used to worship, appeared to him in a dream, and informed him of the approaching misfortune. Consequently, he embarked with his family on a vessel, and he also took with him the idol and the pillar which supported it behind. It so happened that the vessel was battered by a storm ; but as the Raja was destined to live some time longer, he, by means of that same pillar, brought the ship and himself safe to land. He then set up that pillar as a mark of his intention to rebuild and newly people the place. As a pillar in Hindi is called Khamb, the city was hence called Khambawati, which was gradually worn down by constant use into Khambait. This port is one of the largest in Hindustan, and is situated on one of the estuaries of the sea of ’Uman. The average breadth of this estuary is estimated to be seven kos, and the length about forty. Ships cannot enter this branch, but are anchored in the port of Goga, which is one of the dependencies of Khambait, and is near the high sea. From hence the cargoes are transported to Khambait on boats (ghuráb, grabs), and in the same manner merchandize intended for exportation is carried to the ships. Before the arrival of my victorious arms, several boats had come to Khambait from the ports of Europe, and the crews, after selling and purchasing goods, were on the point of returning. On Sunday, the 10th, having decorated their boats, they displayed them before me, and then took their departure towards their destination. On Monday, the 11th, I embarked on a boat, and sailed about one kos.
In the time of the Sultans of Gujarat, the tamghá or customs duty levied from the merchants was very large; but it is now ordered that no more than one part in forty should be taken. In other ports the custom officers take the tenth or twentieth part, and give all sorts of trouble and annoyance to the merchants and travellers. In Jedda, the port of Mecca, one-fourth is taken, and sometimes even more than that; hence it may be inferred what the duties at the ports of Gujarat were in former reigns. Thanks be to God, this humble creature of the Almighty has dispensed with levying the tamghá, which amounted to a sum beyond calculation, throughout the territories under his rule, and the very name of tamghá has disappeared from his dominions.