History of Kanauj to the Moslem Conquest c20.s1.t3.17

c20.s1.t3.17

(f) *Turuṣka-daṇḍa* : a term that is most difficult to explain. It has been variously interpreted as a tax on aromatic reeds,³ or tribute paid to Ghazni by the ruler of Kanauj,⁴ or a tax levied on the Hindus to ward off the Moslems.¹ But, as pointed out by Sten Konow, it might also mean a tax imposed on the Moslems,² who, according to the *Kāmil-ut-tawārīkh*, settled in the Kanauj kingdom in the time of Mahmud-bin-Sabuktigin, and “were faithful to the law of Islam and constant in prayer and good works.”³ Thus it would be a sort of Hindu counterpart of the Moslem *Jizya*.