Sailing Around Erythraean Sea: Forty One

In the last Section, the navigator was sailing off Eirinon (The Rann of Kutch). According to him The Rann of Kutch was not navigable because of shallow waters and sandbanks. South of Rann of Kutch is the promontory that encloses Rann of Kutch. The promontory is now called Kachch. North to South of Kachch the following localities are seen: Lakhpat, Naliya, Mandvi, Mundra and Gandhidham. Lakpat is a town on the mouth of Kori Creek, a tidal creek and is a part of Indus River delta. Mandvi and Mundra are also towns. Bhuj, the headquarters of Kachch is also seen north of Mundra. They are on the northern coast of Gulf of Kutch. Rann of Kutch was under sea and a part of Gulf of Kutch. Coastal land formation had started at the time of koine Greek sailor's time and the Rann of Kutch is now one of the largest salt deserts in the world.

Moving forward, there is the Kathiawad peninsula, which he calls Syrastrene; and we call it Saurashtra,  and south of it is Gulf of Khambat. w Now, to what he had written:

Beyond the Gulf of Baraca is that of Barygaza, and the coast of the country of Araica, which is the beginning of the Kingdom of Nambanus, and of all India. That part lying inland and adjoining Scythia is called Abiria, but the coast is called Syrastrene. It is a fertile country yielding wheat and rice and sesame oil and clarified butter, cotton and Indian clothes made therefrom, of the coarser sorts. Very many cattle are pastured there, and the men are of great stature and black in colour. The metropolis of this country is Minnagara, from which much cotton cloth is brought down to Barygaza. In these places there remain even to the present time signs of the expedition of Alexander, such as ancient shrines, walls of forts and great wells. The sailing course along this coast, from Barbaricum to the promontory called Papica, opposite Barygaza, and before Astacampra, is of three thousand stadia.


My Search:-

Gulf of Baraca: Gulf of Kutch, lying between Kutch Peninsula and Kathiawad Peninsula.

Gulf of Barygaza: Gulf of Khambat, also known as Gulf of Camby is a long bay on the western coast of Indian subcontinent. It has a length of 200 kilometres from Arabian sea at the foot of the bay to its head at Vadgam, a village. At the head it has a width of 20 kilometres and at the foot around 70 kilometres.

Barygaza: Baruch also called Bharutkutccha on the mouth of Narmada River, where it drains into Gulf of Khambat. In addition to River Narmada, rivers Mahi, Tapi, Sabarmati and Vishwamitri flows through the area. River Mahi drains into Gulf of Khambat. River Tapi splits into two around Hazira and merges in Hazira creek before it falls into Gulf of Khambat. River Narmada drains into Gulf of Khambat between the villages Luvara and Aliabet. River Viswamitri falls into Gulf of Khambat southwest of Nada village. River Mahi drains into Gulf of Khambat after flowing through Akhol village. River Sabarmati joins Gulf of Khambat at Vadagam.


Araica: Araica was a region of Western India, starting from Saurashtra peninsula upto Karachi, associated with Western Satraps of Indo-Scythian Kingdom. The merchandise for export might have come from places in the region which had acces, through rivers mentioned above, to Barygaza. The main river in the region is River Narmada.

Nambanus: Nahapana of the Western Satraps, in first and second century CE. Nahapana means the protector of the tribe. It was not clear whether it was his name or a title.

Abiria: Exact location of Abiria is being debated among scholars. It covers the area east of Indus River delta and was also named Abhiras or Ahirs, after an agricultural and pastrol community. It is worthwhile to remember that pastrol community evolved into merchant community, because of their nomadic way of life in search of better pastures. The unknown sailor must have contact with them in exchange of clarified butter, wheat, rice etc. as described in the text above.

Syrastrene: Saurashtra or Kathiawad peninsula. The name Kathiawad may have come from the early settlements of Kathis who entered Gujarat from Sindh in early centuries of Common Era. Kathis were peasant caste, who worshipped the Sun-god.

Barbaricum: Karachi, Pakistan.

Papica: Papica, according to the unknown sailor is a promontory, opposite Bharuch. Baruch itself is at the base of a promontory, the tip of which is Luvara, a village. Here River Narmada drains into Gulf of Khambat. If it is on the southern bank of River Narmada, it may be the promontory where Aliabet is situated.


Astacampra:  Ankleshwar, situated fourteen kilometres south of Bharuch. Astacampra may be Koine Greek adaptation of Atthangika Magga, meaning access to eight directions. Brahmanic revivalism of CE 500 to 300 must have erazed the Pali word and replaced it with Ankleshwar, because Attangika Magga reflected eightfold ways of Sramanic philosophy.


End of the Section 

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