Note 202 — ARAB REFERENCES.1

The king of Jurz was at war with the Balháras as well as with the neighbouring kingdom of Táfak or the Panjáb. The details given under Bhínmál page 468 show that Sulaimán’s tongue of land, by which he apparently meant either Káthiáváḍ or Gujarát was an imperfect idea of the extent of Gurjjara rule. At the beginning of the tenth century a.d. 916 Sulaimán’s editor Abu Zaid describes Kanauj as a large country Appendix V. Arab References, a.d. 851–1350. Kings. Jurz. forming the empire of Jurz,202 a description which the Gurjjara Vatsarája’s success in Bengal about a century before shows not to be impossible. Ibni Khurdádbah (a.d. 912) ranks the king of Juzr as fourth in importance among Indian kings. According to him “the Tátariya dirhams were in use in the Juzr kingdom.” Al Masúdi (a.d. 943) speaks of the Konkan country of the Balhára as on one side exposed to the attacks of the king of Juzr a monarch rich in men horses and camels. He speaks of the Juzr kingdom bordering on Táfán apparently the Panjáb and Táfán as bounded by Rahma203 apparently Burma and Sumátra. Ibni Haukal (a.d. 968–976) notices that several kingdoms existed, including the domain of the Śiláháras of the north Konkan within the land of the Balhára between Kambáyah and Saimúr.204 Al Bírúni (a.d. 970–1031) uses not Juzr, but Gujarát.205 Beyond that is to the south of Gujarát he places Konkan and Tána. In Al Bírúni’s time Náráyan near Jaipúr, the former capital of Gujarát, had been taken and the inhabitants removed to a town on the frontier.206 Al Idrísi (end of the eleventh century really from tenth century materials) ranks the king of Juzr as the fourth and the king of Sáfán or Táfán as the second in greatness to the Balhára.207 In another passage in a list of titular sovereigns Al Idrísi enters the names of Sáfir (Táfán) Hazr (Jazr-Juzr) and Dumi (Rahmi).208 By the side of Juzr was Táfak (doubtfully the Panjáb) a small state producing the whitest and most beautiful women in India; the king having few soldiers; living at peace with his neighbours and like the Balháras highly esteeming the Arabs.209 Ibni Khurdádbah (a.d. 912) calls Tában the king next in eminence to the Balhára.210 Al Masúdi (a.d. 943) calls Táfak the ruler of a mountainous country like Kashmír211 with small forces living on friendly terms with neighbouring sovereigns and well disposed to the Moslims.212 Al Idrísi (end of eleventh century but materials of the tenth century) notices Sáfán (Táfán) as the principality that ranks next to the Konkan that is to the Ráshṭrakúṭas.