A History of Agriculture in India v2.c58.s2: Ceremonies on Return from a Journey
A History of Agriculture in India v2.c58.s2
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Ceremonies on Return from a Journey
v2.c58.s2.1
'The ceremonies which were observed on the return of the Sultan from journeys ouside the capital are thus described by Ibn Battuta. 'When the Sultan returns from a journey, the elephants are decorated, and on sixteen of them are placed sixteen parasols, some brocaded and some set with jewels. Wooden pavilions are built several storeys high and covered with silk cloths, and in each storey there are singing girls wearing magnificent dresses and ornaments, with dancing girls amongst them. In the centre of each pavilion is a large tank made of skins and filled with syrup-water, from which all the people, natives or strangers, may drink, receiving at the same time betel leaves and areca-nuts. The space between the pavilions is carpeted with silk cloths, on which the sultan's horse treads. The walls of the street along which he passes from the gate of the city to the gate of the palace are hung with silk cloths. In front of him march footmen from his own slaves, several thousands in number, and behind come the mob and the soldiers. On one of his entries into the capital I saw three or four small catapults placed on elephants throwing gold and silver coins amongst the people from the moment when he entered the city until he reached the palace.'¹
v2.c58.s2.2
¹ Gibb, H.A.R. *The Travels of Ibn Battuta*, Vol. III, pp. 658-662