The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c6.s1.t8.1

c6.s1.t8.1

The position of Nirankot is fixed at Haidarâbâd by the concurrent testimony of M‘Murdo, Masson, Burton, and Eastwick.* Sir Henry Elliot alone places it at Jarak, as he thinks that that locality agrees better with the descriptions of the native historians. But as Haidarâbâd is the modern name of the city, which the people still know as Nirankot, there would seem to be no doubt of its identity with the Nirun, or Nirunkot, of the Arab historians and geographers. Its position is described by Abulfeda as 25 parasangs from Debal, and 15 parasangs from Mansura, which accords with the less definite statements of Istakhri and Ibn Haukal, who simply say that it was between Debal and Mansura, but nearer to the latter. It was situated on the western bank of the river, and is described as a well-fortified but small town, with few trees. Now, Haidarâbâd is 47 miles from the ruined city of Brâhmanâbâd, or Mansura, and 85 miles from Lâri-bandar, which I will presently show to have been the most probable position of the ancient Debal; while Jarak is 74 miles from Brâhmanâbâd, and only 60 miles from Lâri-bandar. The position of Haidarâbâd, therefore, corresponds much better with the recorded distances than that of Jarak. At present the main channel of the Indus runs to the west of Haidarâbâd, but we know that the Phuleli, or eastern branch, was formerly the principal stream. According to M‘Murdo,* the change of the main stream to the westward of Haidarâbâd took place prior to A.H. 1000, or A.D. 1592, and was coincident with the decay of Nasirpur, which was only founded in A.H. 751, or A.D. 1350. As Nasirpur is mentioned by Abul Fazl† as the head of one of the subdivisions of the province of Thatha, the main channel of the Indus must have flowed to the eastward of Nirunkot or Haidarâbâd at as late a date as the beginning of the reign of Akbar.