History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c33.10

v3.c33.10

Again south (-west) from Kanauj "Asi, Sahanya, Jandrā, Rājauri and Bazan the capital of Gujarat". This town defies identification though Gujarat is recognised, from inscriptions, to be the country round modern Jaipur. The country was certainly part of what is modern Marwad, and Bazan, according to our view, may be Bhinmal which was once capital of Gujarat or Kuchalo of Hiuen Tsang. For Al-Beruni states that the town was in ruins and the people had gone to another place called Jadura. "Moslems called the town Naraina" which also may be explained by the fact that there was a temple of the sun (Nārāyaṇa) at Bhinmāl. Bhinmāl and Srīmāla are one and Srimali Brahmins and Banias are still well-known sub-castes. Al-Beruni adds that Mathura was as distant from Bazan as Kanauj was from Mathura. Probably he refers here to the Sambhar kingdom of the Chauhans. Al-Beruni does not mention Ajmer which was not yet founded nor made capital by the Chauhans.