Growth of Muslim Population in Medieval India, A.D. 1000–1800 c10.30

c10.30

Ibn Battuta was in India for six long years and moved about from Sind to Madura (and Ceylon) and in the east he went as far as Chittagaon and Kamrup. He visited about 75 cities, towns and ports,³² including Kanauj, Bahraich, Gwalior and Khajuraho. Basking under the favours of the king, he was carefree; being a globe trotter, he was optimistic. Therefore he has a good word for every place he visited. His impressions of south Indian port towns have been presently noticed. In North India he seems to have been impressed by every town, every city every region. According to him irrigation in the Indus valley was done on the pattern of the Nile valley, the overflow from the river being taken advantage of to irrigate the fields³³ To him Sivistan was 'a large city';³⁴ and Bukkar a 'handsome city'.³⁵ Uchch was a 'big city' on the banks of the Indus with fine bazars and new buildings.³⁶ Abohar was "small, handsome and thickly populated".³⁷ Sarsuti was a "big city", and Hansi "one of the finest and perfectly built cities which is most thickly populated"³⁸ Chanderi and Maabar (Malabar) were among the most fertile regions of India.³⁹ So was Kara-Manikpur, "one of the most prosperous parts" of the country⁴⁰ In short, in the words of al-Qalqashindi, "In the whole country towns are closely built".⁴¹