46. The Feringi Pirates of Chatgaon, 1665 A.D. 



By Jadunath Sarkar, M.A,, Professor, Patna College. 



[From the contemporary Persian acconnt of Shihabuddin Talish, in MS. 

 Bodleian 589, Sachau and Ethe's Catalogue, entry 240. See my article 

 in J.A.S.B., June 1906, no, 257-260.1 



Arrakan Described- 



[153, a.] The fort of Chatgaon is an appurtenance of the 

 kingdom of Arracan, which is a large country and great port of 

 the east. One side of it is enclosed by high hills which join the 

 rnountaius of Ganaser,^ China, Cathay, and Mahachin. Another 

 side is bordered hy the ocean. Deep rivers and wide oceans 

 enclose the western side, which adjoins Bengal. The land 

 and water routes alike for entering the country are very difficult. 

 Its conquest is an extremely hard task. The people of the 

 country are called Maghs — which is an abbieviation of Muhamil-i' 

 sag' (= despicable dog), according to [the proverb] "the name 

 descends from heaven." They do not admit into their country 

 any other tribe than the Christians, who visit it by the sea-route 

 for purposes of trade. [153, 5.] Good elephants abound ; horses 

 are totally wanting, T his writer has heard from the Khan 

 Khanan [Mir Jumla] that the elephants of Arracan surpass all 

 other elephants in beauty of appearance and character. Some 

 mines of metal are said to exist in the country. The inhabitants 

 have no definite faith or religion, but incline [a little] to the 

 Hindu creed. Their learned men are called RawUs ; they do not 

 transgress the guidance of the latter in their earthly affairs.* The 

 Batdis have the ways of the Sewrahs [ = Svetambar Jains]. The 

 Rajahs of this country hold pre-eminence over other lower rulers, 

 by reason of their large forces, spacious country, and great splen- 

 dour. The Governors of the ports and islands of the east always 

 show respect and meekness to them. These rajahs are so proud 

 and foolish that as long as the san does not decline from the 

 zenith they do not put their heads out of the doors of their 

 palace ; they say, " The sun is our younger brother. How can 

 we hold court while he is over our heads and we below him ? " 

 In their decrees and letters they give themselves the title of 

 "Elder brother of the Sun, Lord of the Golden House and AVhite 

 Elephant." Of their offspring that [154, a] base-bom son is 



i Text has Kashmshir, whicJi may be (n) Kashmir or {h} Garmsliir; 

 see Journal, A.S.B., No. 1, 1872, p. 76, footnote. 



^ This account is mainly based upon the A'tn-i-Akhari (Eug. trans- 

 lation by Jarrett, ii, 119), 



