They bind them for 40 days in
a stable with ropes and pegs, in order that they may get fat; and
afterwards, without taking measures for training, and without stirrups and
other appurtenances of riding, the Indian soldiers ride upon them like
demons.... In a short time, the most strong, swift, fresh, and active
horses become weak, slow, useless, and stupid. In short, they all become
wretched and good for nothing.... There is, therefore, a constant
necessity of getting new horses annually." Amir Khusru mentions among
Malik Kafur's plunder in Ma'bar, 5000 Arab and Syrian horses. (Elliot,
III. 34, 93.)
The price mentioned by Polo appears to be intended for 500 dinars, which
in the then existing relations of the precious metals in Asia would be
worth just about 100 marks of silver. Wassaf's price, 220 dinars of red
gold, seems very inconsistent with this, but is not so materially, for it
would appear that the dinar of red gold (so called) was worth two
dinars.[5]
I noted an early use of the term Arab chargers in the famous Bodleian
copy of the Alexander Romance (1338):
"Alexand' descent du destrier Arrabis."
NOTE 8. - I have not found other mention of a condemned criminal being
allowed thus to sacrifice himself; but such suicides in performance of
religious vows have occurred in almost all parts of India in all ages.
Friar Jordanus, after giving a similar account to that in the text of the
parade of the victim, represents him as cutting off his own head before
the idol, with a peculiar two-handled knife "like those used in currying
leather." And strange as this sounds it is undoubtedly true. Ibn Batuta
witnessed the suicidal feat at the Court of the Pagan King of Mul-Java
(somewhere on the const of the Gulf of Siam), and Mr. Ward, without any
knowledge of these authorities, had heard that an instrument for this
purpose was formerly preserved at Kshira, a village of Bengal near Nadiya.
The thing was called Karavat; it was a crescent-shaped knife, with
chains attached to it forming stirrups, so adjusted that when the fanatic
placed the edge to the back of his neck and his feet in the stirrups, by
giving the latter a violent jerk his head was cut off. Padre Tieffentaller
mentions a like instrument at Prag (or Allahabad). Durgavati, a famous
Queen on the Nerbada, who fell in battle with the troops of Akbar, is
asserted in a family inscription to have "severed her own head with a
scimitar she held in her hand." According to a wild legend told at Ujjain,
the great king Vikramajit was in the habit of cutting off his own head
daily, as an offering to Devi. On the last performance the head failed
to re-attach itself as usual; and it is now preserved, petrified, in the
temple of Harsuddi at that place.
I never heard of anybody in Europe performing this extraordinary feat
except Sir Jonah Barrington's Irish mower, who made a dig at a salmon with
the butt of his scythe-handle and dropt his own head in the pool! (Jord.
33; I.B. IV. 246; Ward, Madras ed. 249-250; J.A.S.B. XVII. 833;
Ras Mala, II. 387.)
NOTE 9. - Satis were very numerous in parts of S. India. In 1815 there were
one hundred in Tanjore alone. (Ritter, VI. 303; J. Cathay, p. 80.)
NOTE 10. - "The people in this part of the country (Southern Mysore)
consider the ox as a living god, who gives them bread; and in every
village there are one or two bulls to whom weekly or monthly worship is
performed." (F. Buchanan, II. 174.) "The low-caste Hindus, called Gavi
by Marco Polo, were probably the caste now called Paraiyar (by the
English, Pariahs). The people of this caste do not venture to kill the
cow, but when they find the carcase of a cow which has died from disease,
or any other cause, they cook and eat it. The name Paraiyar, which means
'Drummers,' does not appear to be ancient."[6] (Note by the Rev. Dr.
Caldwell.)
In the history of Sind called Chach Namah, the Hindus revile the
Mahomedan invaders as Chandals and cow-eaters. (Elliot, I. 172, 193).
The low castes are often styled from their unrestricted diet, e.g.
Halal-Khor (P. "to whom all food is lawful"), Sab-khawa (H.
"omnivorous").
Babu Rajendralal Mitra has published a learned article on Beef in ancient
India, showing that the ancient Brahmans were far from entertaining the
modern horror of cow-killing. We may cite two of his numerous
illustrations. Goghna, "a guest," signifies literally "a cow-killer,"
i.e. he for whom a cow is killed. And one of the sacrifices prescribed
in the Sutras bears the name of Sula-gava "spit-cow," i.e.
roast-beef. (J.A.S.B. XLI. Pt. I. p. 174 seqq.)
NOTE 11. - The word in the G.T. is losci dou buef, which Pauthier's text
has converted into suif de buef - in reference to Hindus, a preposterous
statement. Yet the very old Latin of the Soc. Geog. also has
pinguedinem, and in a parallel passage about the Jogis (infra, ch.
xx.), Ramusio's text describes them as daubing themselves with powder of
ox-bones (l'ossa). Apparently l'osci was not understood (It.
uscito).
NOTE 12. - Later travellers describe the descendants of St. Thomas's
murderers as marked by having one leg of immense size, i.e. by
elephantiasis.
