The Geography of the Puranas c7.s4.21

c7.s4.21

The Chinese, according to Abū Zaid divided the world into five major political divisions.8 The Emperor of China, he says, told him, 'We count five great sovereigns. The richest of them reigns over Iraq (the province of Baghdad), because Iraq is situated in the centre of the world and other kings are placed round him. He bears the title of "the King of Kings". After this Empire comes ours; the sovereign is named "the King of Peoples" because no other king on the earth maintains better order in his states, and rules; there are hardly any people who are more loyal to their prince than are our people. He is, therefore, in reality "the King of People". After that comes the "King of Ferocious Beasts", viz. the King of the Turks with his state adjacent to China. The fourth in rank is the "King of Elephants", namely, the King of India. We call him the "King of Wisdom" because wisdom is the special characteristic of the Indians. Lastly comes the "Emperor of the Romans" whom we call the "King of Beautiful People", not because they are beautiful but because no other people excel the Romans in physique. These are the principal kings, others occupy only a secondary position. The title of the 'King of People' which the Emperor of China adopted apparently meant 'the King of Humanity in general'. The title of the 'King of Ferocious Beasts' belongs, specifically to the ruler of the Turks, called by contemporary writers by the name of Tagazgaz. According to Masūdī, no other people on earth were more brutal, more given to shedding blood, or rearing of horses, than the Turks.