Note 82 — The Twelfth New Year’s Feast after my auspicious accession.

Cambay82 is one of the old ports. According to the brahmins, several thousand years have passed since its foundation. In the beginning its name was Trimbāwatī, and Rāja Tryambak Kunwar had the government of the country. It would take too long to write in detail the circumstances of the aforesaid Raja as the brahmins relate it. In brief, when the turn to the government came round to Rāja Abhay Kumār,83 who was one of his grandsons, by the decree of heaven a great calamity happened to this city. So much dust and earth were poured on it that all the houses and buildings were hidden, and the means of livelihood of many people was destroyed. Before the arrival of this calamity, an idol (but), which the Raja worshipped, came in a dream and announced this event. The Raja with his family embarked in a ship, and carried away the idol with them with a pillar it had behind it for a support. By chance the ship also was wrecked by a storm of misfortune. As there was left still a term of life for the Raja, that pillar bore the boat of his existence in safety to the shore, and he proposed to rebuild the city. He put up the pillar as a mark of repopulation and the coming together of the people. As in the Hindi language they call a pillar istambh and khambh, they called the city Istambhnagarī and Khambāwatī, and sometimes also Trimbāwatī, in connection with the Raja’s name; Khambāwatī has by degrees and much use become Khambāyat (Cambay). This port is one of the largest ports84 in Hindustan and is near a firth, which is one of the firths of the Sea of Oman. It has been estimated to be 7 kos in width, and nearly 40 kos in length. Ships cannot come inside the firth, but must cast anchor in the port of Gogā, which is a dependency85 of Cambay and situated near the sea. Thence, putting their cargoes into ghurābs86 (commonly called ‘grabs’) they bring them to the port of Cambay. In the same way, at the time of loading a ship they carry the cargo in ghurabs and put it in the ships. Before the arrival of the victorious host some ghurabs from European ports had come to Cambay to buy and sell, and were about to return. On Sunday, the 10th, they decorated them and showed them to me. Taking leave they went about their business. On Monday, the 11th, I myself went on board a ghurab for about a kos on the face of the water. On Tuesday, the 12th, I went out with cheetahs (yūz), and captured two87 antelope. On Wednesday, the 13th, I went to see the tank of Tārangsar (Narangsar?),88 and passed through the streets and bazaar on the way, scattering nearly 5,000 rupees. In the time of H.M. Akbar (may Allah’s lights be his testimony), Kalyān Rāy, the superintendent of the port, by His Majesty’s order built a wall of brick and cement round the city, and many merchants came from various quarters and settled there, and built fine houses and employed themselves in gaining their livelihood under easy circumstances. Although its market is small, it is clean and full of people. In the time of the Sultans of Gujarat the customs of this port came to a large sum. Now in my reign it is ordered that they should not take more than one in forty. In other ports, calling it a tithe, they take one in ten or one in eight, and give all kinds of trouble to merchants and travellers. In Jeddah, which is the port of Mecca, they take one in four or even more. One may imagine from this what the customs of the ports of Gujarat must have come to in the time of the former rulers. God be praised that this suppliant at the throne of God obtained the grace to remit the whole of the customs dues of his dominions, which came to a countless sum, and the very name of customs (tamg͟hā) has passed away from my empire. At this time an order was given that tankas89 of gold and silver should be coined twice the weight of ordinary muhrs and rupees. The legend on the gold coin was on one side the words “Jahāngīr-s͟hāhī, 1027” (1618), and on the reverse “Struck in Cambay in the 12th year of the reign.” The legend for silver coins was on one side “Sikka, Jahāngīr-s͟hāhī, 1027”; round it this hemistich, “King Jahāngīr of the conquering ray struck this”; and on the reverse, “Coined at Cambay in the 12th year of the reign,” with this second hemistich round it—