Early History of the Dekkan down to the Mahomedan Conquest c17.18

c17.18

It was in the reign of this king that Hwan Thsang, the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, visited India In the course of his travels through the country he visited Mahârâshṭra, which he calls Mo-ho-la-ch'a He saw Pulakeśi, whom he thus describes "He is of the race of Ts'a-ti-li (Kshatriyas), his name is Pu-lo-ki-she His ideas are large and profound and he extends widely his sympathy and benefactions His subjects serve him with perfect self-devotion "¹⁶ About Pulakeśi's having withstood the power of Harshavardhana which we have before mentioned on the authority of inscriptions, Hwan Thsang speaks in these words "At present the great king Śîlâditya (Harshavardhana) carries his victorious arms from the east to the west, he subdues distant peoples and makes the neighbouring nations fear him, but the people of this kingdom alone have not submitted Although he be often at the head of all the troops of the five Indies, though he has summoned the bravest generals of all the kingdoms, and though he has marched himself to punish them, he has not yet been able to vanquish their opposition From this we may judge of their warlike habits and manners "[^17 The Chinese traveller visited Mahârâshṭra about the year A D 639, that is, five years after the inscription referred to above was incised The kingdom, according to him, was six thousand *li* (1200 miles) in circuit and the capital was thirty *li*, and towards the west was situated near a large river The soil, climate, and the character and general condition of the people of Mahârâshṭra are thus described by him "The soil is rich and fertile and produces abundance of grain The climate is warm The manners are simple and honest The natives are tall and haughty and supercilious in character Whoever does them a service may count on their gratitude, but he that offends them will not escape their revenge If any one insult them they will risk their lives to wipe out that affront If one apply to them in difficulty they will forget to care for themselves in order to flee to his assistance When they have an injury to avenge they never fail to give warning to their enemy, after which each puts on his cuirass and grasps his spear in his hand In battle they pursue the fugitives but do not slay those who give themselves up When a general has lost a battle, instead of punishing him corporally, they make him wear women's clothes, and by that force him to sacrifice his own life The state maintains a body of dauntless champions to the number of several hundreds Each time they prepare for combat they drink wine to intoxicate them, and then one of these men, spear in hand, will defy ten thousand enemies If they kill a man met upon the road the law does not punish them Whenever the army commences a campaign these braves march in the van to the sound of the drum. Besides, they intoxicate many hundreds of naturally fierce elephants. At the time of their coming to [53] blows they drink also strong liquor. They run in a body trampling everything under their feet. No enemy can stand before them. The king, proud of possessing these men and elephants, despises and slights the neighbouring kingdoms."