Sailing Around Erythraean Sea: Sixty Three

The previous point was Masalia or modern day Machilipatnam on the Eastern coast of Indian subcontinent. We had a glimpse of Chilika Lake and of the barbarous tribes in the region.


After this, the course turns toward the east again, and sailing with the ocean to the right and the shore remaining beyond to the left, Ganges comes into view, and near it the very last land toward the east, Chryse. There is the river near it called Ganges, and it rises and falls the same way as the Nile. On its bank is a market-town, which has the same name as the river, Ganges. Through this place are brought malabathrum and Gangetic spikenard, and pearls, and muslins of the finest sorts, which are called Gangetic. It is said that there are gold mines near these places, and there is a gold coin, called caltis. And just opposite this river there is an island in this ocean, the last part of the inhabited world toward the east, under the rising sun itself; it is called Chrys and it has the best tortoise shell of all the places on the Erythraean Sea. 

End of the section 

1. Chrys: In fact there are a number of small islands: Sun rise view point, Char Hare, Char Kasem etc. It is not clear which one he intended.




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