Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Vol. I, Part I: History of Gujarat c19.s2.t1.43

c19.s2.t1.43

Kachh. Al Birúni (A.D. 970-1031) is the only Arab writer who refers to Kachh. He calls Kachh with Somnáth the head-quarters of the country of the Bawárij or Medh pirates. Speaking of the Indus he notices⁵ that one of its branches which reaches the borders of Kachh is known as Sind Ságar. In a third passage he refers⁶ to Kachh as the land of the mukl or balsamodendron and of bádúd or bezwar. It was twenty-four miles (6 farsangs) from Debal (Karáchi). According to the Tárikh-i-Maásúmi⁷ when (A.D. 1069) the sovereignty of Sindh passed from the descendants of Mahmud of Ghazni to the Sumras, Singhar, the grandson of Sumra (A.D. 1069) extended his sway from Kachh to Nasarpúr⁸ near Sindh Haidarábád and Khafif the son of Singhar consolidated his power and made Kachh a Sumra dependency.¹⁰ Dúda the grandson of Khafif quelled a threatened Sumra rising by proceeding to Kachh and chastising the Sammas.¹¹ On the fall of the Sumras the Cháuras became masters of Kachh from whose hands the country passed to those of the Sammas. Ground down under the iron sway of the Sumras a number of Sammas fled from Sindh and entered Kachh where they were kindly received by the Cháuras who gave them land to cultivate. After acquainting themselves with the country and the resources of its rulers the Samma immigrants who seem to have increased in numbers and strengthened themselves by union, obtained possession by stratagem but not without heroism of the chief fortress of Kachh.¹² This fort now in ruins A.D. 851-1350. Capitals. Kaira.