The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c6.s1.t9.20

c6.s1.t9.20

the ‘Periplus,’ the merchant vessels anchored at the emporium of Barbarike, where the goods were unloaded, and conveyed to the capital by the river. Just so in modern times the ships anchored at Lâribandar, while the merchants carried their goods to Thatha either by land or by water. The position of Minnagar is too vaguely described as “inland,”* to be of any use in its determination. If it was, as I suppose, at Thatha, then it may perhaps be identified with Ptolemy’s Sousikana, which I would interpret as Susi-gáma, or the “town of the Su tribe,” an etymology which is supported by the fact that the Mands, or Meds, were a branch of the great horde of Sus, or Abars, who gave one name to Susiana, at the mouth of the Euphrates, and the other to Abiria, at the mouth of the Indus. I should mention, however, that according to M‘Murdo,† “Minagar was one of the cities dependent on Multân in the twelfth century, and was the possession of a chief by caste an Agri, and descended from Alexander. It was situated on the Lohána Daryá, not far from Bâhmana, in the parganah now called Shehdádpur.” It is a suspicious circumstance that this passage has not been verified either by Postans or by Elliot. The latter, who constantly refers to his own MS. of the ‘Tohfat-ul-Kirâm,’ quotes‡ this notice of Minagar at second-hand from M‘Murdo. I may add that the Agari is a well-known caste, of low degree, who are employed in the manufacture of salt. I am therefore not inclined to admit that this petty place could have any connection with the great capital of Indo-Scythia. On the contrary, I am disposed to look upon this name of *Min-nagara* as meaning simply the city of Min.