History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c34.s6.68

v3.c34.s6.68

Lastly we have to explain the inexplicable expression 'Hanjamana Nagara-paura Trivarga prabhṛitin' occurring in more than one record of these Śilāhāras. Hanjamana or Hanyaman is no doubt a town and may be identified with Sanjan of modern days and of the Arab writers of the 10th and 11th centuries. But why should the grant orders be addressed to the people of the town of Hanjamana only and why are the people three-fold? Along with the usual officers of towns and talukas and provinces these orders are addressed to these particular people only. It is suggested that Hanjamana was the old capital town; but it does not appear so and the capital was either Puri or Thana and the inhabitants of neither are specially addressed. The expression can be explained only on the supposition that the three kinds of people there were very important. It appears probable that this particular part of the country was specially popular with foreigners for settlement. It is unfortunate that unlike China and Japan, India did not keep strict watch over the ingress of foreigners and allowed any people of any religion to enter the country and settle and even to enjoy jurisdiction of their own magistrates. These settlements were three and very important. There must have been Parsis, Arabs and Jews or perhaps Negroes. As important trading communities trading with the whole country and perhaps as very troublesome communities, they had special jurisdictions of their own as related by an Arab writer. The three classes of citizens of the town of Hanjamana had thus a special importance which required these orders to be addressed to them and brought to their notice also.