at a distance of seventy-five leagues are other islands, of which
ten or twelve are inhabited by Moors, brown and small in stature,
who have a separate language and a Moorish king who resides in an
island called Mahaldiu.[268] And they call all these islands
Palandiva. The inhabitants are ill-formed and weak, but are very
ingenious and charming. Their king is elected by some Moorish
merchants, inhabitants of Cananor, and they change him when they
please. These persons receive tribute of him every year in cordage
and other produce of the country. They go there to load their ships
without money, because the people of the country, with or against
their will, have to give these said Moors whatever they wish. There
is much fish in these islands, of which they prepare much
dried,[269] which is a great article of trade. And as ballast for
the ships which take on board these things, they carry away
sea-snails, which are worth a good deal in many parts, and in some,
especially Cambay, they serve as small change. Many fine cotton
cloths are manufactured in these islands, and others of silk and
gold, which are worth a good deal amongst the Moors. They gather
much amber in these islands, of a good quality and in large pieces,
white, grey, and brown; and I asked several of these Moors various
times how the amber was produced: they hold that it is the droppings
of birds, and say that in this archipelago in the uninhabited
islands there are some large birds which perch on the rocks near the
sea, and there void that amber, which becomes refined by exposure to
the air, the sun and the rain, until some storms arise and gales of
wind, which drive the sea waves over the rocks, and this bird-dung
is torn off the rocks in large and small pieces, and so carried out
to sea, where it floats till they meet with it, or it is cast up on
some beach, or that some whales swallow it. And they say that what
is found of a white colour, and which they call ponabar, has been in
the sea only for a short time, and this they value most highly
amongst themselves; and that the other which is found of a greyish
colour, and which they name puambar, has been, they say, in the sea
for a long time, and has taken that colour from floating about in
the water; this also is very good, but not equal to the white; and
what they find of a brown colour and bruised, has been swallowed,
they say, by whales, and turned brown in their bodies, and that it
has such a quality that the whale cannot digest it, and they eject
it whole just as they swallowed it; this they call minabar, and it
is that which among them has least value. In these isles of Maldiva
they construct many large ships of palm tree, sewn together with
matting, for there is no other wood there. Some of these sail to the
mainland, and are ships with keels and of much tonnage; they also
construct there other small rowing vessels, like brigantines and
_fustas_, very pretty and good for rowing, which they use to go from
one island to another; and they likewise cross over to the Malabar
country. Many Moorish ships touch at these islands from China,
Malacojana, Malaca, Samatra, Bengala, Ceylan, and Peygu, on their
passage to the Red Sea: and there they take in water and
refreshments for their voyage. Sometimes they arrive so shattered
that they unload their cargo there, and they let it be lost. Many of
these ships get lost amongst these islands because they do not
venture to come to the Malabar coast from fear of the Portuguese.
ISLAND OF CEYLAM.
Leaving these islands of Mahaldiva further on towards the east,
where the cape of Comory is doubled, at thirty-eight leagues from
the cape itself, there is a very large and beautiful island which
the Moors, Arabs, Persians, and our people call Ceylam,[270] and the
Indians call it Ylinarim. It is a rich and luxuriant land, inhabited
by Gentiles, and ruled by a Gentile king. Many Moors live in the
seaports of this island in large quarters, and all the inhabitants
are great merchants. There are fifty leagues of channel towards the
north-east from the said cape until passing the island of
Maylepur.[271] Both Moors and Gentiles are well-made men, and almost
white, and for the most part stout, with large stomachs, and
luxurious. They do not understand, nor possess arms, they are all
given to trade and to good living. They go bare from the waist
upwards, and below that cover themselves with good cloths of silk
and cotton, caps on their heads, and the ears pierced with large
holes in which they wear many gold rings and jewellery, so much that
their very ears reach to their shoulders: and many rings and
precious jewels on their fingers; they wear belts of gold richly
adorned with precious stones. Their language is partly Malabar and
partly of Cholmendel, and many Malabar Moors come to live in this
island on account of its being so luxuriant, abundant, and very
healthy. Men live longer here than in other parts of India. They
have a great deal of very good fruit; and the mountains are full of
sweet and sour oranges of three or four kinds, and plenty of lemons
and citrons, and many other very good fruits which do not exist in
our parts, and they last all the year. And there is plenty of meat
and fish, little rice, for most of it comes from Cholmendel, and it
is their chief food; much good honey and sugar brought from Bengal,
and butter of the country. All the good cinnamon grows in this
island upon the mountains, on trees which are like laurels. And the
king of the country orders it to be cut in small sticks, and has the
bark stripped off in certain months of the year, and sells it
himself to the merchants who go there to buy it, because no one can
gather it except the king. There are likewise in this island many
wild elephants which the king orders to be caught and tamed; and
they sell them to merchants of Cholmendel, Narsynga, and Malabar,
and those of the kingdoms of Decam and Cambay go to those places to
buy them. These elephants are caught in this manner: it must be
known that they have got other elephants with which they manage it,
and they fasten them with chains in the mountains and woods where
they are bred; and at the foot and all round a tree near the
elephant they make three or four very large pits, covered over with
slender poles, and they strew earth on the top, so that nothing
appears: and the wild elephants seeing the female come to her, and
fall into these pits, where they keep them seven or eight days
half-dead of hunger, and so many men watch them by day and night,
always speaking to them so as not to let them sleep, until they tame
and render them domestic, giving them their food with their hands.
And after they have got them broken in and tame, they take them with
strong chains, and by degrees throw so much earth and branches into
the pit that the elephant gradually rises until he comes out of the
pit, and then they tie him to some tree and keep him some days
watching, with fire, and men who always talk to him, and give him
food in moderation until they make him domestic and obedient. And in
this way they catch them male and female, great and small, and
sometimes two at once in one pit. They make great merchandise of
them, and they are worth much, because they are much valued by the
kings of India for war and for labour, and they become as domestic
and quick at understanding as men. The very good ones are worth in
the Malabar country and in Cholmendel from a thousand to one
thousand five hundred ducats, and the others from four to six
hundred ducats according as they may be, but in the island they are
to be had for a small price. And all have to be brought and
presented to the king. There are also many jewels in this island,
rubies which they call manica, sapphires, jacinths, topazes
jagonzas,[272] chrysoliths, and cat's eyes, which are as much
esteemed amongst the Indians as rubies. And all these stones are all
gathered in by the king, and sold by himself. And he has men who go
and dig for them in the mountains and shores of the rivers, who are
great lapidaries and who are good judges in those matters: so much
so that if they have a few handfuls of earth brought them from the
mountain, at once on seeing it they know if it is of rubies or of
any other stones, and where it comes from. And the king sends them
to look there, and after they have brought them he orders to set
aside each kind, and pick out the good ones, and he has them worked
to have them sold when cut, which he does himself to foreigners; and
the other inferior ones he sells at once to the country merchants.
These rubies which grow here, for the most part, are not of so
brilliant a colour as these which grow in Ava and Capelam, of which
mention will be made further on; and some which come out perfect in
colour are much more highly prized by the Indians than those of
Paygu, because they say that they are stronger. And in order to make
them of a deeper colour they put them into the fire. These
lapidaries whom the king has near him, on seeing a stone before it
is cut, say: this ruby will endure so many hours of fire, and will
remain very good. And the king risks it, and orders it to be put in
a very strong charcoal fire for that space of time which the
lapidary has mentioned to him: and if it endures it without danger,
it comes out more perfect in colour, and is worth very much. And all
the other stones are found and worked in the same manner: and some
stones are found which are half ruby and half sapphire, and others
half topaze and half sapphires, and also cat's eyes. The king has a
great treasure of these jewels, for whenever he meets with any very
good stone he puts it in his treasury.
Close to this island of Ceylam in the sea there is a sand-bank
covered with ten or fifteen fathoms of water, in which a very great
quantity of very fine seed pearls are found, small and great, and a
few pearls: and the Moors and Gentiles go there from a city which is
called Sael, belonging to the King of Coulam, to fish for this seed
pearl, twice a year by custom, and they find them in some small
oysters, smoother than those of our parts. And the men plunging
under the water, where they remain a considerable time, pick them
up: and the seed pearl is for those who gather them, and the large
pearls are for the king, who keeps his overseer there, and besides
that they give him certain duties upon the seed-pearl.
The King of Ceylan is always in a place called Columbo, which is a
river with a very good port, at which every year many ships touch
from various parts to take on board cinnamon and elephants. And they
bring gold and silver, cotton and silk stuffs from Cambay, and many
other goods which are saffron, coral, quicksilver, vermilion which
here is worth a great deal; and there is much profit on the gold and
silver, because it is worth more than in other parts. And there come
likewise many ships from Bengal and Cholmendel, and some from Malaca
for elephants, cinnamon and precious stones. In this island of
Ceylan there are four or five other harbours and places of trade
which are governed by other lords, nephews of the King of Ceylan, to
whom they pay obedience, except that sometimes they revolt. In the
middle of this island is a very lofty mountain range in which is a
very high stone peak, and upon it a pool of spring water, and on
this stone there is the form of a man's foot,[273] which the Indians
say is the footmark of father Adam, whom they call Adam Baba. And
from all those parts and kingdoms the Moors come in pilgrimage,
saying that father Adam went up from there to heaven, and they go in
the habit of pilgrims, with chains of iron, and clothed with skins
of leopards, lions, and other wild animals, and on their arms and
legs they inflict wounds continually along the road to keep up open
sores, saying that they do that for the service of God, and honour
of Mahomed and Adam Baba. And some of them go well provided with
money which they carry hidden to spend it on the jewels of Ceylon.
Before they arrive at this mountain where Adam's footstep is, they
go through swampy land, through valleys full of water, and by the
banks of water, and they have five or six leagues to go with water
to the waist, and all carry knives in their hands to rid themselves
of the leeches which fasten on their legs, and which are
innumerable. And on arriving at the mountain they make the ascent of
it, and they cannot mount up to the pinnacle except by ladders of
iron chains,[274] which it has put round it, of a great thickness.
And on the top of it they wash with the water of that pool, and
perform their prayer: and they say that with that they remain free
and pure of all sin. The said island of Ceylon is very near the
mainland, and between it and the continent are some banks which have
got a channel in the midst, which the Indians call Chylam,[275] by
which all the Malabar sambuks pass to Cholmendel. And every year
many are lost upon these banks because the channel is very narrow:
and in the year that the Admiral of Portugal went the second time to
India, so many ships and sambuks of Malabar were lost in those
shallows, that twelve thousand Indians were drowned there, who were
coming with provisions, and were determined on driving the
Portuguese fleet away from India, without allowing it to take any
cargo.
QUILACARE, OF THE KINGDOM OF COLAM.
Leaving the island of Ceylon and returning to the mainland, after
doubling Cape Comory at twenty leagues to the north-east, is the
country of the King of Colam and of other lords, who live in it
subject to him. And the first place is named Quilacare, in which
country there are many and great towns of Gentiles and several
harbours, where dwell many Moors born in the country. They perform
their voyages in small vessels which they call champana.[276] The
Malabar Moors come to these towns to trade and to bring Cambay
goods, which are worth a good deal there, and a few horses. And they
take in rice and cloths for Malabar. And in this province of
Quilacare there is a Gentile house of prayer, in which there is an
idol which they hold in great account, and every twelve years they
celebrate a great feast to it, whither all the Gentiles go as to a
jubilee. This temple possesses many lands and much revenue: it is a
very great affair. This province has a king over it, who has not
more than twelve years to reign from jubilee to jubilee. His manner
of living is in this wise, that is to say: when the twelve years are
completed, on the day of this feast there assemble together
innumerable people, and much money is spent in giving food to
Bramans. The king has a wooden scaffolding made, spread over with
silken hangings: and on that day he goes to bathe at a tank with
great ceremonies and sound of music, after that he comes to the idol
and prays to it, and mounts on to the scaffolding, and there before
all the people he takes some very sharp knives, and begins to cut
off his nose, and then his ears, and his lips, and all his members,
and as much flesh off himself as he can; and he throws it away very
hurriedly until so much of his blood is spilled that he begins to
faint, and then he cuts his throat himself. And he performs this
sacrifice to the idol, and whoever desires to reign other twelve
years and undertake this martyrdom for love of the idol, has to be
present looking on at this: and from that place they raise him up as
king.
SAEL.
Having left Quilacare, further along the coast, at ten leagues to
the north-east, is another town called Cael,[277] which belongs to
the King of Colam: it is inhabited by Gentiles and great Moorish
merchants, and is a seaport where many ships touch every year from
Malabar, Cholmendel, and Bengala. They deal in all kinds of goods
from all parts at this place. The Chetis of this city are great
lapidaries and artists for setting[278] pearls, which fishery
belongs to the King of Sahel, who has farmed it for many years
forward to a very rich Moorish merchant, who is almost as important
in the country as the king. And this person administers justice
amongst the Moors, without the king's mixing himself up in it. Those
who fish up the pearls, as has been said, fish all the week for
themselves, and on the Friday for the owner of the boat; and all of
them together fish at the end of the season during which they are
there a whole week for this Moor. The king of Colam lives always
near this city, and is very rich and powerful on account of his many
men at arms, who are very good bowmen. He always has in his guard
four or five hundred women, trained from girls to be archers: they
are very active. He sometimes is at war with the King of Narsinga,
who wishes to take his country, but he defends himself very well.
CHORMENDEL.
Twelve leagues further on the coast turns to the north, the country
is called Cholmender,[279] and it extends seventy or eighty leagues
along the coast. In it there are many Gentile cities, towns and
villages, and it belongs to the King of Narsinga; it is a land
abounding in rice, meat and wheat, and all sorts of vegetables,
because it is a country which has very beautiful plains. And many
ships of Malabar come here to load rice, and they bring goods from
Cambay to this country, that is to say, copper, quicksilver,
vermilion, pepper and other goods. And throughout all this
Cholmender much spice and drugs, and goods of Malaca, China, and
Bengal are to be met with, which the Moorish ships bring here from
those parts, since they do not venture to pass to Malabar from dread
of the Portuguese. And although this country is very abundantly
provided, yet if it should happen any year not to rain it falls into
such a state of famine that many die of it, and some sell their own
children for a few provisions, or for two or three fanoes, each of
which will be worth thirty-six maravedis. And in these times the
Malabars carry rice and cocoa nuts to them, and return with their
ships laden with slaves, and all the chetis, Gentile merchants, who
live throughout India, are natives of this country of Cholmender;
they are very sharp, great accountants, and dexterous merchants. And
many country-born Moors, mercantile and seafaring men, live in the
seaports.
MAYLEPUR.
Further along this coast, which makes a bend to the north-west and
then turns to the north-east, having left the Cholmendel country, at
a distance of twelve leagues there is a city almost uninhabited and
very ancient, which is called Maylepur; in former times it was a
considerable place of the kingdom of Narsinga. In this city is
buried the body of the apostle St. Thomas, in a small church near
the sea. And the Christians of Cuolam, who are of his doctrine, say
that when St. Thomas left Cuolam, on being persecuted by the
Gentiles, he went with a few companions to that country, and settled
in this city of Maylepur, which at that period was twelve leagues
distant from the sea, which later eat away the land, and came in
upon it. And there he began to preach the faith of Christ, to which
he converted some, whilst others persecuted and wished to kill him,
and he separated himself from the people, and went about frequently
among the mountains. And one day as he wandered about in that
manner, a gentile hunter, with a bow, saw many peacocks together
upon the ground in that mountain, and in the midst of them one very
large and very handsome standing upon a stone slab; this hunter shot
at it, and sent an arrow through its body, and they rose up flying,
and in the air it turned into the body of a man. And this hunter
stood looking until he saw the body of the said apostle fall. And he
went to the city where he related that miracle to the governors, who
came to see it, and they found that it was indeed the body of St.
Thomas, and then they went to see the place where he had been
wounded, and they saw two impressions of human feet marked on the
slab, which he left impressed when he rose wounded.[280] And when
the governors of the country saw so great a miracle, they said this
man was holy, and we did not believe him; and they took him and
buried him in the church where he now is, and they brought the stone
upon which he left the said footmarks, and they placed it close to
his grave; and they say that on burying him they could never put his
right arm in the tomb, and it always remained outside; and if they
buried him entirely, next day they found the arm above the earth,
and so they let it be. The Christians, his disciples and companions
who built the said church, and the Gentiles already held him for a
saint, and honoured him greatly. He remained thus with his arm
outside of the grave for a long time, and they say that many people
came there from many quarters in pilgrimage,[281] and that some
Chinese came also, who wished to cut off his arm and carry it away
as a relic, and that when they were about to strike at it with a
sword, he withdrew his arm inside, they say, and it was never seen
again. So he remains still in that hermitage, very humbly, and
lighted up by the grace of God, because the Moors and Gentiles light
him up, each one saying that he is something belonging to them. And
the house and church are ordered in our fashion, with crosses on the
altar, and at the top of the vault a great wooden cross, and
peacocks for a device: this church is much deteriorated. All round
it there is much brushwood, and a poor Moor takes care of that
building and begs alms for it, and for the lamp, which still
continues burning. The Christians of India still go there as
pilgrims, and carry away thence as relics some little pellets of
earth of the tomb of this blessed apostle.
PALECATE.
Further on this coast goes forty-three leagues to the north-east and
twelve leagues to the north, there is another city of the kingdom of
Narsinga, inhabited by Moors and Gentiles, great and rich merchants,
it is called Palecate,[282] and is a harbour at which many Moorish
ships touch, coming from divers parts with all kinds of goods. It
also has much trade with the interior of the kingdom, and they sell
there many jewels which are brought from Peygu, especially rubies
and spinel-rubies of a good quality, and much musk. These jewels may
be had for very little there, by whoever knows how to buy well. The
King of Narsynga keeps his governors in this city, and collectors of
his revenues. In this place they make many good coloured cotton
stuffs which are worth much in Malaca, Peigu, and Samatra, also in
the kingdom of Guzurate and Malabar they are much valued for the
clothing both of Moors and Gentiles. Copper, quicksilver, vermilion,
opium, and many Cambay goods fetch a good price, so also scarlet
cloth, coral, saffron, velvets from Mekkah, and rose water.
THE MOUNTAIN OF DIGUIRMALE.
Having passed this city of Palecate further along the coast which
trends to north-east by north as far as Marepata, a distance of a
hundred and forty leagues, in which there are many other places
belonging to the kingdom of Narsynga, as far as the kingdom of
Horisa.
KINGDOM OF ORISSA.
Further on after passing Marepata, along the coast which trends from
hence to north-east by east, the kingdom of Horisa commences. It is
of the Gentiles, very good fighting men, and the king is frequently
at war with the king of Narsynga, and is powerful in the numbers of
his foot soldiers. The greater part of his country is withdrawn from
the sea, and has few seaports and little trade. His territory
extends seventy leagues along the coast as far as the river Ganges,
which they call Guenga,[283] and on the other side of this river
commences the kingdom of Bengala, with which he is sometimes at war.
And all the Indians go in pilgrimage to this river to bathe in it,
saying that with this they all become safe, because it issues from a
fountain which is in the terrestrial paradise. This river is very
great and magnificent, it is studded on both banks with opulent and
noble cities of the Gentiles. Between this river and the Eufrates
are the first and the second India, a territory very abundant and
well provided, very healthy and temperate, and from this river
further on to Malaca is the third India, according as the Moors say.
BENGAL.