A History of the Mahrattas v1.c7.118

v1.c7.118

Like the early history of every country, that of Maharashtra is involved in much obscurity; yet there are traces of two or three great revolutions previous to the Mahomedan conquest. Popular legend tells us, that the people called Gursee,¹ who are a low cast and the best performers amongst the rude musicians of the country, are the aborigines of Maharashtra; and this is supported by the authority of the Poorans, in which it is stated, that the tract between the Cavery and the Godavery, was termed Dhundkarinya,² or the forest, and that when Rawun held universal sway, he bestowed it upon the Wajintree, or musicians. But the first authentic account we have of any sovereignty in the country, is that of which Tagara was the metropolis. This city was frequented by Egyptian merchants two hundred and fifty years before Christ; and the author of the Periplus of the Erythrean sea, who wrote about the middle of the second century, particularly mentions it as a place of great resort, and well known to the Greeks as the emporium for the supply of their merchandise.