Indian Antiquary Vol 16

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 13

JANUARY, 1887.)
EARLY ACCOUNT OF THE DAKHAN.
(10) There are finally some general indica- cart-loads of their own goods, whatever tions of a route across the Arabian Sesother cargo there may have been in it. westward from Ceylon to two distant islands Smaller vessels are not mentioned; nor, with called The Solitary Island,' and 'Maharat- one exception, are boats: the parricide lionnadvipa,"136 which may possibly be Madagas- slayer and his sister, in the Chinese version of car and Socotra ; and of another vaguely the legend, were cast adrift in large open described route southwards to the island of boats. Narakira.15
The expressions, being “pushed by contrary The descriptions of these voyages imply that winds,"118 " driven over the sea,"150" driven by the vessels employed in them were ships the winds, overtaken by a storm and carried of large size; for, whatever the multiple of the along,"269 together with the more direct allusions legendary exaggeration may be, these ships to sails, and sailing, show that these vessels are said to have carried a large number of were sailing ships. Some of the voyages passengers. The ship in which Vijaya was alluded to may have been made from port to cast adrift carried seven hundred of his fol. port along the coast : but the rest were clearly lowers; 18 and each of the two ships in which made on long stretches of the ocean, needing their wives and children were exposed, 13held and therefore implying the existence of some a similar number. The ship in which Simhala considerable amount of scientific nautical skill. - sailed from some unknown port of Jambudvi. | That these seamen were usually dependant on
pa to Ceylon contained five hundreds other favourable winds is implied in the circumstance merchants besides himself. The ship in which of their failure to make their intended destinaVijaya's Påndyan bride was brought over to tions when thwarted by contrary winds : and in Ceylon, accommodated eighteen officers of state, crossing the open sea, they evidently took advanseventy five menial servants, and a number of tage of the prevailing periodical winds. The slaves, in addition to the princess herself and the crews of these ships are but seldom referred seven hundred other virgins who accompa- to directly: but they appear to have been well nied her. The wrecked ship of the Janaku-játaka organized. 166 had a crew and other passengers of the favou- The merchandise with which these ships rite number of seven hundred, in addition to were freighted is not often mentioned. In Buddha himself in an earlier incarnation. So the Suppâraka-Bodhisat's voyage, the meralso the ship in which Buddha in the Suppå. chants took up whatever "treasures were preraka-Bôdhisat incarnation made his mercantile sented"101 along their route. The red-sanders voyage from Broach to the sea of the seven timber which one of them brought home, gems," held seven hundreds other merchants was qnite an accidental cargo in that instance, besides himself. There were five hundred though it was evidently not an unknown one ;
rehants in the wrecked ship of the Clond for the high value of this wood, as well as horse-játaka; and the same numberTM were in that of the true sandal, is several times the ship of the Kesi version of that legend. referred to. The precious stones, and espePunna's brother was accompanied by three cially the pearls of Ceylon" are frequently hundred fellow-merchants in his voyage to the mentioned: but they were only valuable region of the red-sanders and there was still super-additions to the general cargo, though room left in their ship for the large cargo of that the chief object of some of the 'voyages was timber which they carried home. The ship in to obtain them. Some of these ships carried which the Burmese merchant-brothers crossed rice from the Dakha, to Ceylon; as is implied the Bay of Bengal, conveyed five hundred in the legend of Kuvêni entertaining Vijaya 196 Si-yu-ki, II. 2+2, 258. 13' Ibid. 252.
156 See Rom. Hist. Bud. 837. Uph. II. 28, 168. Turn. 16, 47: ante, XIII. 35.
180 Man. Bud. 57. Rom. Hist. Bud. 889. 13• Turn. 46. 140 Si-yu-ki, II. 241.
201 Man. Bud. 13. 341 Turn. 81. 148 Bigandet, 415.
14 Uph. I. 7; II. 21, III. 71: Man. Bud. 67, 260: 243 Man. Bud. 18. 101 anto, XIII. 46.
Sacr. Bkn. XIX. 23; XX. 78, XXL 378. Rom. Hist. Bud. 332. 1 Man. Bud. 57, 260. 10 Uph. 11.1175. Turn. 4, 53 : Dath. 38: Fa-Hian, 149: W Bigandet, 101.
Si-yu-ki, II. 239.
Rom. Hist. Bud. 276, 287, 332, 838 : Rock., 60 : 8i-yu-ki, W Rock. 59.
10 Bi-yu-k, II. 236, 240. Il. 289, 241, 243, 246, 248. Si-yu-ki, 243. Man. Bud. 57: ante, XIII. 85. 100 Rom. Hist. Bud. 332, 836: ante, XIIL 86: Shi-y