Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c23.s2.39

v2.c23.s2.39

² Sewell, For. Emp., p. 252. We may observe here Mr. Moreland's comments (India at the Death of Akbar, p. 276) on the same subject. He says that "the tradition of nakedness in the south extends to the feet", and tries to prove his case by quoting a part of the statement of Paes given above, thus—"John of Montecorvino reported that shoe-makers were as little required as tailors. Nikitin said, as we have seen, that the people of the Deccan went barefooted. Paes says the same thing of 'the majority of the people, or almost all', in Vijayanagar." But it would have been better if the other statements relating to shoes, given by Paes, had also been cited, since the testimony of Paes, specially when taken in conjunction with that of Nicolo and Barbosa, proves that shoes were common in the south. B.A.S.