A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): A Contribution to the History of IndiaSewell, Robert
History
A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): A Contribution to the History of India
Sewell, Robert
Vijayanagar (Empire) -- History
And because this country is all flat, the winds blow here more than
in other parts. The oil which it produces comes from seeds sown and
afterwards reaped, and they obtain it by means of machines which they
make. This country wants water because it is very great and has few
streams; they make lakes in which water collects when it rains, and
thereby they maintain themselves. They maintain themselves by means
of some in which there are springs better than by others that have
only the water from rain; for we find many quite dry, so that people
go about walking in their beds, and dig holes to try and find enough
water, even a little, for their maintenance. The failure of the water
is because they have no winter as in our parts and in (Portuguese)
India, but only thunder-storms that are greater in one year than
in another. The water in these lakes is for the most part muddy,
especially in those where there are no springs, and the reason why it
is so muddy is because of the strong wind and the dust that is in this
country, which never allows the water to be clear, and also because of
the numbers of cattle, buffaloes, cows, oxen, and other small cattle
that drink in them. For you must know that in this land they do not
slaughter oxen or cows; the oxen are beasts of burden and are like
sumpter-mules; these carry all their goods. They worship the cows,
and have them in their pagodas made in stone, and also bulls; they
have many bulls that they present to these pagodas, and these bulls go
about the city without any one causing them any harm or loss. Further,
there are asses in this country, but they are small, and they use them
only for little things; those that wash clothes lay the cloths on them,
and use them for this more than for anything else. You must know that
this kingdom of Narsymga has three hundred GRAOS of coast, each GRAO
being a league, along the hill-range (SERRA) of which I have spoken,
until you arrive at Ballagate and Charamaodel,[378] which belong to
this kingdom; and in breadth it is one hundred and sixty-four GRAOS;
each large GRAO measures two of our leagues, so that it has six
hundred leagues of coast, and across it three hundred and forty-eight
leagues... across from Batacalla to the kingdom of Orya.[379]
And this kingdom marches[380] with all the territory of Bengal, and on
the other side with the kingdom of Orya, which is to the east, and on
the other side to the north with the kingdom of Dakhan, belonging to
which are the lands which the Ydallcao[381] has, and Ozemelluco.[382]
Goa is at war with this Ydallcao, because that city was his, and we
have taken it from him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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