Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East (Vol. I: Champa; Vol. II: Suvarnadvipa) v2.c13.s2.t2.18

v2.c13.s2.t2.18

Now the first of these arguments loses its force in view of what has been said before. As to the second, we can easily accept the view that the "island of Mahārāja" is identical with Zābag. It is also proved by the fact that various Arab writers describe some peculiar characteristics of the kingdom which they refer, sometime to Zābag, and sometime to the island of Mahārāja. Thus, Abū Zayd Ḥasan says that Zābag is thickly populated, and there is a continuous line of villages there, so that when the cocks crow in the morning, the cry is taken up by those in the next village, and in this way the sound is taken up for nearly a distance of 100 *parsangs*. The same writer tells the story of the lake in front of the palace, in which the king of Zābag throws a brick of gold everyday. Now Ibrāhīm bin Waṣif Sāḥ relates the first story about the island of Mahārāja, while Ibn Sa‘īd reproduces the second in connection with the island of Mahārāja.