Note 135 — ARAB REFERENCES.1

Kanauj.Kanauj. Al Masúdi135 (a.d. 956) is the first Arab traveller who gives an account of Kanauj. He says:136 The kingdom of the Baûúra king of Kanauj extends about a hundred and twenty square parasangs of Sindh, each parasang being equal to eight miles of this country. This king has four armies according to the four quarters of the world. Each of them numbers 700,000 or 900,000. The army of the north wars against the prince of Multán and with his Musalmán subjects on the frontier. The army of the south fights against the Balhára king of Mánkír. The other two armies march to meet enemies in every direction. Ibni Haukal (a.d. 968–976) says137 that from the sea of Fárs to the country of Kanauj is three months journey. Rashíd-ud-dín from Al Bírúni (a.d. 970–1039) places138 Kanauj south of the Himálayas and states139 that the Jamna falls into the Ganga below Kanauj which is situated on the west of the river (Ganga). The chief portion of Hind included in the “second climate” is called the central land or Madhya Desh. He adds that the Persians call it Kanauj. It was the capital of the great, haughty, and proud despots of India. He praises the former magnificence of Kanauj, which he says being now deserted by its ruler has fallen into neglect and ruin, and the city of Bári, three days’ journey from Kanauj on the eastern Appendix V. Arab References, a.d. 851–1350. Chief Towns. Kanauj. side of the Ganges being now the capital. Kanauj was celebrated for its descendants of the Pándavas as Máhura (Mathra) is on account of Bás Dev (Kṛishṇa). Al Idrísi, end of the eleventh century, speaks140 of Kanauj in connection with a river port town of the name of Samandár “a large town, commercial and rich, where there are large profits to be made and which is dependent” on the rule of the Kanauj king. Samandár, he says, stands on a river coming from Kashmír. To the north of Samandár at seven days is, he says, the city of Inner Kashmír under the rule of Kanauj. The Chách Námah (an Arabic history of great antiquity written before a.d. 753, translated into Persian in the time of Sultán Násir-ud-dín Kabáchah) (a.d. 1216) says141 that when Chách a.d. 631–670) advanced against Akham Lohána of Brahmanábád that the Lohána wrote to ask the help of “the king of Hindustán,” that is Kanauj, at that time Satbán son of Rásal, but that Akham died before his answer came.