Sailing Around Erythraean Sea: Sixty Two

In the last Section we had a view of Srilanka, and then the eastern coast of Africa. Now we see him returning to the eastern coast of Indian subcontinent:

About these places is the region of Masalia stretching a great way along the coast before the inland country; a great quantity of muslins is made there. Beyond this region, sailing toward the east and crossing the adjacent bay, there is the region of Dosarene, yielding the ivory known as Dosarenic. Beyond this, the course trending toward the north, there are many barbarous tribes, among whom are Cirrhadae, a race of men with flattened nose, very savage; another tribe Bargysi; and horse faces and long faces, who are said to be cannibals.



1. Masalia: Masulipatam in Andhra Pradesh. It lies east of Guntur, and south of Eluru. The port town was in existence since 3rd century BCE. We were at Sompeta, Andhra Pradesh in Section Sixty. Masulipatnam, or Machilipatnam is south of Sompeta by about five hundred and eighty kilometres. The port town had existed since 3rd century BCE. It is on the mouth of River Krishna.

2. Dosarene: Chilika Lake and its surroundings.
3. Cirrhadae: Barbarous tribes or Kirathas of Mahabharata.
4. Bargysi: These are Bhargas of Vishnu Purana, neighbours of Kiratas. Their habitate was the middle country.
5. Short faces and long faces; who were said to be cannibals. There are reference of them in epics and Puranas.

End of the Section 

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