South India and her Muhammadan Invaders c15.s1: Description of the Foot
South India and her Muhammadan Invaders c15.s1
- Language
- English
Description of the Foot
c15.s1.1
The noble foot mark—that of our father Adam—is to be seen in a black high rock standing in an open place. The foot print on the stone is deeply impressed; it is eleven spans long. Formerly the people of China used to go there, they cut out of the rock the impression of the big toe and the one next to it, and deposited this fragment in a temple in the town of Leitoun (Tseuthoung) to which they go from distant places. In the rock bearing the foot print three hollows have been dug in which idolatrous pilgrims deposit gold and precious stones and pearls. Fakirs who arrive at the grotto of khidhr, try to outbeat one another in finding what lies in these hollows. As for us, we found only a few small stones and a little gold which we gave to our guide. It is usual for pilgrims to spend three days in the cavern of khidhr, and during that period to visit the foot morning and evening. We did the same.
c15.s1.2
At the end of three days, we returned by ‘Mother’s Road’, and encamped near the grotto of Cheim, which is the same as Seth, son of Adam. We afterwards stayed near the bay full of fish, and the villages of Cormolah, of Djbercavern, of Diedineouch and of Atkalendjeh. It is in this last named place that the sheik Abon’abd Allah, son of the Khafif, spent the winter. All these villages and stations are situated on the mountain. Near the foot of the latter, on this same road, stands ‘dirakht rewan,’ ‘the walking tree’, an ancient tree that does not lose a single leaf. I have not met any one who has seen its leaves. It is given the prefix ‘walking’ because the person who looks at it from the mountain top, thinks it stands far away at the foot of the mountain, whilst he who looks at it from below, believes it to be in quite the opposite place. I met a troop of Yogees who never leave the foot of the mountain but are waiting for the leaves of this tree to fall. It stands in an absolutely inaccessible spot. Idolators say: ‘whosoever eats the leaves of this tree, recovers his youth, even though he be an old man.’ But this is false, another of their lies.
c15.s1.3
Beneath this mountain is the great bay containing precious stones. Its waters are extremely blue. From here we marched for two days as far as the large town of Dinewar, near the sea, inhabited by merchants. Dinewar (Dinēśvara) contains, a large temple, with an idol that bears the name of the town. In this temple there are about 1,000 Brahmans and Yogees, and about 500 women, born of idolatrous fathers, who sing and dance the whole night before the god. The town and its revenues are the particular property of the idol; and those who live in the temple and those who visit it, are fed on that money. The idol is made of gold, the size of a man. It has two large rubies in place of eyes, which, I am told, shine like lanterns during the night.
c15.s1.4
We left Dinewar for the little town of Kaly (Galle) six parasangs (about thirty-six miles or so) distant. A Mussalman, the coxswain of the boat Ibrahim, whom we met there, entertained us at his house. Then we set out for Calenbou (Colombo), one of the largest and most beautiful towns in the island of Serendib. Djalesty, the Vezir prince of the sea, lives there with about 500 Abyssinians. Three days after leaving Colombo, we arrived at Batthalah, already mentioned, and visited the Sultan spoken above. I met the coxswain of the boat Ibrahim and we set out for the country of Ma’bar. The wind was strong and the water was on the point of entering the vessel. Without a skilled captain, we drifted near certain rocks and the ship was all but wrecked; then we entered shallow water, the vessel grounded and we were face to face with death. The passengers threw their belongings into the sea and bade farewell to all. We cut down the mast of the ship and threw it into the sea. The sailors made a raft with the plank. We were two parasangs distant from the shore. I wanted to go down on to the raft, but I had with me two concubines and two friends, and the latter said to me: ‘Will you go down and leave us?’ I liked them better than myself, and said ‘Go down both of you, as well as the young girl whom I love.’ The other young girl said: ‘I know to swim well. I will tie myself with a cord to the little boat and swim with those people.’ My two comrades descended; one of them was Mohamed, son of Ferhan Attaouzery, and the other, an Egyptian. One of the young girls was with them, the second swam. The sailors made a raft with the help of which they swam. I gave them all the valuables I possessed, personal property, jewels and amber. They got to land safe and well, for the wind helped them. I remained on the vessel, the master of which reached the shore on a plank. The sailors set to work to construct four rafts, but the night before they were finished, the sea broke upon us. Then, several idolaters came in one of their boats to fetch us. We went ashore with them to the land of Ma’bar, and told them we were friends of their Sultan to whom they paid tribute. They wrote to inform him of this. The sovereign was engaged in a war with the infidels at a distance of two days’ march; I sent him a letter telling what had happened to me. The idolaters in question led us into a large wood, and brought us a fruit resembling the watermelon; it grows on the dwarf palm tree. Inside this fruit is a kind of down (or cotton) containing a honied substance which is extracted and made into a sort of pastry called ‘tell’ just like sugar. They served us with excellent fish. We remained there for three days, at the end of which an amir named Kamar-ud-din, accompanied by a detachment of horse and foot soldiers arrived from the Sultan. They brought one palanquin and six horses. I mounted a horse, so did my friend, the master of the ship, and one of the two young girls; the other was carried in the palanquin. We reached the fort of Arcot (Hercatou) where we spent the night. There I left the young girls, a party of my slaves and my companions. The second day we reached the camp of the Sultan.