A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c15.32

Language: English

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We may stop for a while for an account of the impressions gathered by Marco Polo, that ‘prince of medieval travellers’, who spent several months in South India and used them very well. The name by which the country was known to foreigners was Ma'bar, a word which in Arabic signifies ‘passage’ or ferry, and was applied to the part of the Indian coast most frequented by travellers and merchants from Arabia and the Persian Gulf. Ma'bar ‘extends in length from Kulam (Quilon) to Nilawar (Nellore)’, says a contemporary Muslim chronicler. Writing on Kāyal, the chief emporium of the Pāndya kingdom, Marco Polo says that the king to whom the city belongs ‘possesses vast treasures and wears upon his person a great store of rich jewels. He maintains great state and administers his kingdom with great equity and extends great favour to merchants and foreigners so that they are very glad to visit his city.’ ‘It is at this city that all the ships touch, that come from the west as from Hormos and from Kis and from Aden, and all Arabia, laden with horses and with other things for sale.

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And this brings a great concourse of people from the country round about, and so there is great business done in this city of Cail.’ Marco Polo notes that a great part of the wealth of the country was wasted in purchasing horses, a statement fully confirmed by the observations of contemporary Muslim chorniclers who say that the unfavourable climate of South India and the ignorance of Indian horse-keepers necessitated large annual imports of fresh animals. From the earliest times, the Pāndya country has been famous for its pearls, and Marco Polo gives a substantially correct account of the fisheries, adding that the king derived great revenue from them. ‘Moreover nobody is permitted to take out of the kingdom a pearl weighing more than half a saggio unless he manages to do it secretly.’ Marco Polo describes at some length the institution of the King’s Trusty Lieges, the band of bodyguards sworn to defend the king with their lives. Amazed at the scantiness of the dress worn by the common people, Marco Polo exaggerates their nakedness and denies the existence of tailors in the country, though tailors are mentioned in inscriptions long preceding Marco Polo’s visit. He mentions the custom of sati and refers to the practice of allowing a condemned criminal who was sentenced to death to sacrifice himself to some god or other of his choice. He says quaintly: ‘And let me tell you the people of this country have a custom of rubbing their houses all over with cowdung.

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Moreover all of them, great and small, king and barons included, do sit upon the ground only. . . . It is their practice that everyone, male and female, do wash the body twice every day; and those who do not wash are looked on much as we look on the Patarins. You must know that in eating, they use the right hand only. . . . So also they drink only from drinking vessels, and every man hath his own; nor will anyone drink from another’s vessel. And when they drink they do not put the vessel to the lips but hold it aloft and let the drink spout into the mouth. . . . They are very strict in executing justice upon criminals and as strict in abstaining from wine. Indeed they have made a rule that wine-drinkers and seafaring men are never to be accepted as sureties.' He mentions the custom by which a creditor drew a circle round his defaulting debtor and 'the latter must not pass out of this circle until he shall have satisfied the claim, or given security for its discharge'. He mentions the presence of experts in the arts of physiognomy, astrology and sorcery, and the readiness of people to consult them. He refers to temples as 'certain abbeys in which are gods and goddesses to whom many young girls are consecrated' (*devadāsis*). He notices the widespread use of betel leaves with camphor and other aromatic spices mixed with quicklime.

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He notes that 'the nobles and great folks slept on beds made of very light cane work, hanging from the ceiling by cords for fear of tarantulas and other vermin; while the common folk slept on the streets'.