Travels in India (Tavernier) 17.1
Travels in India (Ball) 17.1
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- English
17.1.1
I have given an exact description of a part of this route, and I have conducted the reader as far as KandahAr. It remains for me now to take him from KandahAr to Agra, to which one can go by two routes only, either by KAbul or by MultAn. This last is shorter than the other by ten days, but the caravan scarcely ever takes it, because from KandahAr to MultAn there is nothing but deserts almost all the way, and because one marches sometimes for three or four days without finding water. Hence the most common and the most beaten track is by KAbul. From KandahAr to KAbul they count it 24 stages; from KAbul to Lahore, 22; from Lahore to Delhi or JahAnAbAd, 18; and from Delhi to Agra, 6: this, with the 60 stages from Ispahan to Farah, and the 20 from Faraii to KandahAr, make in all, from Ispahan to Agra, 150 stages. But those merchants who have urgent business sometimes join in parties of three or four on horseback, and accomplish the journey in half the time, that is to say in 60 or 75 days.
17.1.2
MultAn is a town where quantities of calicoes are made, and they used to carry them all to Tatta before the sands had obstructed the mouth of the river; but since the passage has been closed for large vessels they carry them to Agra, and from Agra to Surat, as well as a portion of the goods which are made at Lahore. As this carriage is very expensive, but few merchants go to make investments either at Multan or Lahore, and indeed many of the artisans have deserted; this also causes the revenues of the King to be much diminished in these provinces. Multan is the place from whence migrate all the Banians who come to trade in Persia, where they follow the same occupation as the Jews, as I have elsewhere said, and they surpass them in their usury. They have a special law which permits them on certain days to eat fowls, and to take only one wife between two or three brothers, of whom the eldest is regarded as the father of the children. Numerous Baladins and Baladines, who hail from this town, spread themselves in divers parts of Persia. I come to the route from Kandahar to Agra by Kabul and Lahore. From Candahar to Charisafar (Shahr-i-Safa) 10 coss. „ Charisafar to Zelaté (Kalat-i-Ghilzai) 12 „ „ Zelaté to Betazy (Ab-i-tazi) . . 8 „ „ Betazy to Mezour (Mansur) . . 6 „ „ Mezour to Carabat (Karabagh) . . 17 „ „ Carabat to Chakenicouzé (Shiganu ?) . 17 „
17.1.3
Between Kandahar and Chakenicouzé, on the frontier of India, there is a country where many small Chiefs rule and render some allegiance to the King of Persia. From Chakenicouzé to Caboul (Kabul) 40 coss. In these forty coss of road you only find three poor villages, where they have seldom got bread and barley for the horses, and the safest plan is to carry a supply with you. In the months of July and August a hot wind prevails in these quarters, which suffocates and kills suddenly, being of the same kind as the wind of which I have spoken in my accounts of Persia, which prevails also in certain seasons near Babylon and Mosul. Kabul is a large town, fairly well fortified, and it is there the people of Usbek come every year to sell their horses; they estimate that the trade in them amounts annually to more than 60,000. They take there from Persia also, many sheep and other cattle, and it is the great meeting-place for Tartary, India, and Persia. You can obtain wine there, and articles of food are very cheap.
17.1.4
Before passing further it is necessary to note here a curious fact concerning the people called Augans, who inhabit (the country) from Kandahar to Kabul, towards the mountains of Balch, and are powerful men, and great thieves at night. It is the custom of these Indians to clean and scrape the tongue every morning with a small curved piece of a particular root. This causes them to throw up a quantity of foul matter, and excites them to vomit. And those who inhabit the country on these frontiers of Persia and India practice the same thing, nevertheless they vomit but little in the morning ; but instead, when they take their meals, as soon as they have eaten two or three mouthfuls, their heart is disturbed, and they are obliged to vomit, after which they return to eat with appetite. If they do not do so they only live to the age of thirty years, and they become dropsical.
17.1.5
From Caboul to Bariabé (Barikab) 19 coss. ,, Bariabé to Nîméla (Nimlabagh) . 17 ,, ,, Nîméla to Alyboua (Alibaghan and Ilahibagha, in Akbar’s time) . 19 ,, ,, Alyboua to Taka (Dakka) . 17 ,, „ Taka to Kiemry (Khaibari ?) 6 ,, ,, Kiemry to Chaour (Peshawur) . 14 ,, „ Chaour to Novichaar (Nowshera) 14 ,, „ Novichaar to Atek (Attock) 19 ,, Attock is a town situated on a promontory where two great rivers meet. It is one of the best fortresses of the Great Mogul, and they do not permit any stranger to enter it if he does not hold a passport from the King. The Reverend Jesuit Father Roux, and his companion, wishing to go by this route to Ispahan, and not having obtained a passport from the King, were sent back from thence, and returned to Lahore, where they embarked upon the river to go to Sind, from whence they passed into Persia. From Atek to Calapane (Kala ki sarai?) 16 coss. ,, Calapane to Roupate (Rawat) . 16 ,, ,, Roupate to Toulapêca (Tulpuri) . 16 ,, ,, Toulapêca to Keraly (Kariala or Sarai alamgir) . . . 19 ,, ,, Keraly to Zerabad (Wazirabad) . 16 „ ,, Zerabad to Imiabad (Eminabad) . 18 „ „ Imiabad to Lahor (Lahore) . 18 „
17.1.6
Lahore is the capital of a kingdom, and is built on one of the five rivers which descend from the mountains of the north to go to swell the Indus, and give the name of Penjab to all the region which they water. This river at the present day flows at a quarter of a league distant from the town, being liable to change its bed, and the neighbouring fields often sustain much damage from its great overflowings. The town is large, and extends more than a coss in length, but the greater part of the houses, which are higher than those of Agra and Delhi, are falling into ruins, the excessive rains having overthrown a large number. The palace of the King is rather fine, and is no longer, as it was formerly, on the margin of the river, which has withdrawn, as I have said, about a quarter of a league. One can obtain wine at Lahore. I shall remark, en passant, that after leaving Lahore, and the kingdom of Kashmir which adjoins it on the north, all the women are naturally unprovided with hair on any part of the body, and the men have very little of it on the chin.
17.1.7
From Lahor to Menat-Kan (Amanat Khan) 12 coss. „ Menat-Kan to Faty-abad (Fatehpur) 15 „ „ Faty-abad to Sera-dakan (Dekhan) . 15 „ „ Sera-dakan to Sera-balour (Phillaur) 15 „ „ Sera-balour to Sera-dourai (DOURAHA) . . . . . 12 „ „ Sera-dourai to Serinde (Sirhind) . 17 „ „ Serinde town to Sera Mogoul (MOGULS ARAL) . . . . . 15 „ „ Sera Mogoul to Sera Chabas (Shahabad) . . . . . 14 „ „ Sera Chabas to Dirauril (Tarawari) 17 „ „ Dirauril to Sera-Crindal (Kurnal) 14 „ From Sera-Crindal to Ginenaour (Gannaur) 21 coss. ,, Ginenaour to Dehly (Delhi) . . 24 „ Before proceeding further it should be remarked that nearly all the way from Lahore to Delhi, and from Delhi to Agra, is like a continuous avenue planted throughout with beautiful trees on both sides, which is very pleasant to the view; but in some places they have been allowed to perish, and the people have not taken care to plant others.
17.1.8
Delhi is a large town, near the river Jumna, which runs from north to south, then from west to east, and after having passed Agra and Kadioue, loses itself in the Ganges. Since Sháh Jahán has caused the new town of Jahánábád to be built, to which he has given his name, and where he preferred to reside rather than at Agra, because the climate is more temperate, Delhi has become much broken down and is nearly all in ruins, only sufficient of it remaining standing to afford a habitation to the poor. There are narrow streets and houses of bamboo as in all India, and there are but three or four nobles of the court who reside at Delhi, in great enclosures, in which they have their tents pitched. It is also where the Reverend Jesuit Father who was at the court had his dwelling.