Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, v. 1 of 3: or the Central and Western Rajput States of IndiaTod, James
History
Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, v. 1 of 3: or the Central and Western Rajput States of India
Tod, James
Rajasthan (India) -- History; Rajput (Indic people) -- History
I have in contemplation to give to the public a few of the sixty-nine
books of the poems of Chand, the last great bard of the last Hindu
emperor of India, Prithwiraja. They are entirely heroic: each book a
relation of one of the exploits of this prince, the first warrior of
his time. They will aid a comparison between the Rajput and
Scandinavian bards, and show how far the Provençal Troubadour, the
Neustrienne Trouveur, and Minnesinger of Germany, have anything in
common with the Rajput Bardai. [For Rajput bards on horseback, drunk
with opium, singing songs to arouse warriors’ courage, see Manucci ii.
437 f.]
Footnote 2.6.65:
Ἥλυσιος, from Ἥλιος, ‘the sun’; also a title of Apollo, the Hari of
India. [The two words, from the accentuation, can have no connexion.]
Footnote 2.6.66:
This title of the father of Rama denotes a ‘charioteer’ [‘having ten
chariots.’ Harsha (A.D. 612-647) discarded the chariot (Smith, _EHI_,
339)].
Footnote 2.6.67:
The Indian satrapy of Darius, says Herodotus [iii. 94], was the
richest of all the Persian provinces, and yielded six hundred talents
of gold. Arrian informs us that his Indo-Scythic subjects, in his wars
with Alexander, were the élite of his army. Besides the Sakasenae, we
find tribes in name similar to those included in the thirty-six
Rajkula; especially the Dahae (Dahya, one of the thirty-six races).
The Indo-Scythic contingent was two hundred war chariots and fifteen
elephants, which were marshalled with the Parthii on the right, and
also near Darius’s person. By this disposition they were opposed to
the cohort commanded by Alexander in person. The chariots commenced
the action, and prevented a manœuvre of Alexander to turn the left
flank of the Persians. Of their horse, also, the most honourable
mention is made; they penetrated into the division where Parmenio
commanded, to whom Alexander was compelled to send reinforcements. The
Grecian historian dwells with pleasure on Indo-Scythic valour: “there
were no equestrian feats, no distant fighting with darts, but each
fought as if victory depended on his sole arm.” They fought the Greeks
hand to hand [Arrian, _Anabasis_, iii. 15].
But the loss of empire was decreed at Arbela, and the Sakae and
Indo-Scythae had the honour of being slaughtered by the Yavans of
Greece, far from their native land, in the aid of the king of kings.
Footnote 2.6.68:
The Kathi are celebrated in Alexander’s wars. The Kathiawar Kathi can
be traced from Multan (_the ancient abode_) [_mūlasthāna_, ‘principal
place’]. The Dahya (Dahae), Johya (the latter Hunnish), and Kathi are
amongst the thirty-six races. All dwelt, six centuries ago, within the
five streams and in the deserts south of the Ghara. The two last have
left but a name.
Footnote 2.6.69:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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