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HIS (..ONG AND AROUOlJ5 CflMPlJlGN IN PER51f1~ IllExflNoee THEGREIIT REf...
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HIS (..ONG AND AROUOlJ5 CflMPlJlGN IN PER51f1~ IllExflNoee THEGREIIT REflCHEO NORTH-WESTERN F'RONTleR OF INOlA IN 326 8.C.I"IE OE~EflTEP PIU.lRIIVII fiNO Wll5 FIlLEt:> WITH fl80UT HIS MIl/TAR"! PROWESS. AT LAST I HAVE REACije:D "THE DOORWA "I "TO THE l.AND OF" M4 DREAMS .. ·
- - -,--
Itt
OUR VICTOR4 OVER PORUS
OBSTACLe. IN OUR.
... THE VAST INDIAN l.AND LIES BEFORE US 10 BE CONQUER~D~ GENERAL.
PATH ...
SELEUCUS NICATOR~
HAS ReMOVED THE TOUGHEST
PARDON Me> 'tOUR. MAJEST4 .·,
I
~
omar chifra kotha '"
OU~
~---------------WE FORCE: THEM AN4 MORE we MPH BE
SOlDIERS FEEL. EXHIlUSTE(;)
84 THE WARS AND HAve t..OST "HEI~ , WILL 1'0 FIGHT. THe" HAVE BEEN
LeFT WITH A MUTIN"! ON ouR HANDS.
AWA'1 FROM THEIR HOMES EIGHT l.ONG 4EARS ·· ·
IN 'THAT CASE , SEI..EUCU5 .
we
6I!ALL GReECe .
-
MEliN WHILE. IN PIITIILJPiJTI?II. THE CIIPITIIL OF MIU;RO}fIj) KING CHRNORAGiJPTII M/JURqIl Wll9 BROOOIAIG OVER THE PROBLEM P05EP Bq 7HE GREEKS · HE HAC CIU.tED A MEETING OF INIS WAR COl/NCIL· THE CONGTIINT PRESENCe OF ntE. '(MANAS* ON THE FRoNTIERS OF OUR LAND POSES 1\N IMMINENT THRE1\T "10 OUR
. " We MUST RETAIN 00(2 CONTROL ovel2 TERRITORies cot-JQueRED B4 uS. GENeRAL SELE:UCUS. I APPOINT "IOU THE GOveRNOR OF -ntIS
I AM HONOUR'ED~
"lOUR
5ECURtT«.
WITHIN A FEW YERRS SELEllCUS FIIlMLtI CP HIM6ELF flS THE SOLE RULER OF THE GREEK
OOMIUNS·
'IOU ARE I IN OUR TRADITION OF REVERING GUESTS UKE SODS·
HE SHALL BE WITH 40U 1\5 LONG AS 'IOU STA4 ,-,___ 'N IN OIA_.-;'''C :;::......_
. 1 AM HIGHl4 HONOUREI7, 0 )(ING
SANOROCOTTUS.
M4 MOST TRUSTED SERVANT Will NOW BE IN ATTENDANCE ON
40U.
r----,~.
_ ______""'____- "MEGASTHENES
ALSO. I AM GIFTING 40U
AN ELEPHANT AND
AS CHIIHORIIGlJPT/I WISHEO 77) PROCEEI7 ON II CAMPI/ION •
"TWO HORSES.
I ANI NOT RETURNING THANK 40U
TO PATALIPUTRA
veR4 MUCH) KING .
IMMEDIAl"El.'1> B UT
o
MAY PROCEED THERE·
5EVA~A !*
4E.S,
MMARAJ·
'IOU WILL ACCOMPAN4 MEGA&THENES ON HI6 WA'I TO PAlAU PUTRA .
'lOUR USUAL DUTt1) 5EVAKA. kEEP AN E'-IE
-
"
ON HIM· -- . ~---
""",
••
--•
;
I
1
\.
LRTER~ MEGRSTHENES WENT TO THE CAMP OF SELEUCUS NICIITOR TO 81DHIIt4 GOOI>IfItIE·
,..----
MA4 I TAKE LEAVE
OF (jOUR MAJE$TC( NOW?
---1
WAIT A MINUTE)
MEGASTHEHES.
--:;~_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
--:-:-" omar AND. ABOVE ALL)
TR4 TO KNOW THE LAND AS WELL AS
I SHAll REMEMBER
PON'T FORGET 4 0 UR MOTHERLRND.
"{DU CAN AND ALSO THE pe:OPL.E. FIIoJD OUT HOW THE. FRIENDSHIP BE1'WEEN
OUR COUNTR4 AND INDIA CAN BE
THAT ALWA45 , 40UR MAJESW.
STREtJGTHEH E P. ANO ···
,
.•• SEND IN
40UR REPORTS REGULARL4·
IN fj FEW OII-
>' -
-
-- . . . . . -
-. •
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•
. 8
•• •
•
•
17 Hill) SEEN AN EXHAUSTING TASK. IttEG/lSTHENES REFl.ECTEP.
. '
-::
::-
INDIA, A MIGHTq COUNTR'i) NAMED AFTeR A MIGHT'1 RiveR •
•
,
,
•
I AM SuRE. 40U WILL LIKE IT HERE.) • SIR.
I ALREAD4 PO . KING
IWOEeD~
SIR. HE HAS GIFTED 'fOU ANIMALS NO CIT/ZEN IN INDIA IS I _ _
SANDROCOTTU5 HAS
BEEt.! VERI.{ kiND
'
./
~·J··
/..-'
y~
TO ME·
ALLOWED TO OWN -;: '
,//
-
•
.' I AM EXCITED AT THE THOUGHT OF VISITING PALIBOTHRA .* IT MUST BE A BIG CIT'f.
/rIEGIlSTHENES PREFERREO rol/SE THE HORSES TO THE EI..EPH!iNT DURING HIS 7R!iV€LS.
HOW FAR IS IT FROM
HERE?
ON '"fOUR SCALE OF MEASUREMENT IT WI LL BE ABOUT 10.000 STADEst SIR. "
IT IS·
\
if: GREEK FOR PATALIPUTRA .
-r 10.000
STAOES ARE
9
omor chitro kl.ltho AND A BEAUTIFUL ONE,SJR. CfOU SHAl.l. see FOR 40URSEl.F.
SUCH A LONG ROAD RIGHT ACROSS THE: COUNTI?4?
TO PAT!lIJPUreli wlIS /I tONS ONE . WHEN THE" weRE ON THE OllTSKIRTS OF MIITH(JR/I-
AH
THE REST-HOUSE FOR
THESE iRees ARe SUCH A REl.IEF IN THIS HEAT!
~~,l~RA'VEllERS_./ '
.." ._
•
-•
HOW FAR. ARe WE FROM PATAlIPuTJ('A • NOW?
we
ARE HALFWA4 THROUGH THE SIR. WOULD 4QU LIKE
Lfes , 1 CERTAINL4
HEARD SO MUCH
I
ABOUT
THE ell'!.
TO SPENt:' A FEW OA"fS IN THIS CIT4 OF SHOORA5ENAS*?
•
.'
10
MEGASTHENES
GLORI.{ BE. TO taRO
ON ENTE/?ING THE CIT'! THE'I FOIJNO PEOPlE IN A FERVOUR OF OEVarIOH.
•
•
HE WAS A J204AL PRINCE WHOSE PARENTS WERE IMPRISONED 6- ------. . ""1'-• • .• J, "...---
MOVING FURTHER EAST.. HE OBSER'YE() THE VIIST P/.IIIN5 OF THE NORTH.
.
------- -
-=.:..-=: -..
;0.._ '
- .- . - -
"
•
....
-
-
.;,-
" ,I
•
ER6E/? m LEIf/~N RBOUT THE PEOPLE OF INOlA> MEGRSTHcNES IIPPROIiCHEO THE HOllSEHOLP OF II PERSANT.
",,,
, ,\
HEfJlllNG THE HORSES RPPI/l()IiCHING~ THE
CIi/tO lOOltED UP-
".-- --
LOOK~ MOTHER!
•
WELCOME, SIRS!
THE
P€RS/""~S
7HE PEliSANT WELCOME /) THE VISiTORS.
WIFE TURNE(J ROUND 70 SEE WHO
WRS COMING· WElCOME~ SIRS! PLEASE
BE 5EATEP AND SHARE
WELCOME , SlI2S! PLEASE BE SEATED AND
SHARE OUR FOOD. BE M'I GUESTS lODA Me6llS7HliNES
HIS GEI?VIINT. 40URS 15 AN INTEIlESTlNG LAND · I SHOULl) UKE TO
HE SET OUT liT NIGHT IINO SECRETL'I WflTCHW THE
peOPLE S HAU MAkE
ATO~N:E_H~O~U~5:E~~j:==~::~~~::==::= I WANT 'lOU R HAND IN MARRIAGE FO~
,.q
SON · I HAVE BROUGHT THE PAIR OF OXEN 'IOU HAD
THE COMMON PEOPLE IN DISGUISE,,/,
/
WILL SHE BE HIS THIRO WIFE?
_____ _ ----------~-----------~M=E~GAST~H=EN=E=S~--------------------------- AT RNOTHER HOUSE FI
NO, FOURTH . ONE
/\lUST HAVE A LOT OF CHILDReN.
PHl.fSIC/~N W8S P~NING II
"OU R $
MAHARAJ.
C/ITCH THE lHIEF.
MFlH ARRcl.
ME~S7HENES
MEGRS7HENES WAS INTRIGIJEO Sf{ THE INC/OENT-
200 COINS IS A SMALL AMOUNT) 0 KING· WH4
OCCURRENCE. BUT
ARE YOU MRKltJG
,HIS GOES
SUC H A J:"USS l'
RETURN 11 TO THE OWNER· AND SPARe NO EFfORT TO
STEALING IS A RARE •
THe. VICE MA4
SPReAD .
IF
lfJreR WROTE illS OBSERVIITIONS
IIBOUT 7Hc IIRMMINISTIHITION THeJ?E ) HEIlOE{) 8t( R QUEEN. OFFICER! FIN 0 OUT WH4 OUR CARGO OF PEARLS FROM
ctES ..
MAt-tARANI.
TAMBAPANNI+ GOT DEl.AqeD
THE PAlJDYRNS seEM TO PREFER WOMEN FOR SeNIOR ADMINISTRATIVE POST5. STRANGE: !
THIS "'TIME.
liT THE SEIlPORT OF
-•
=.-
3-=--;-:-.:::-....... -- 'KINS SANDROCOnU6 HAS AN IMPReSSIVe
of present-day Tamil Nadu .
+ Tamrapar ni, Sri Lanka of today .
--*Modern Sopara on the Western Coast .
30
MEGASTHENES MEGII5TJlENES RETV/i'NEf) IN DUE COIJRSE TO PIITRlJPlJ1RR.
.=====::::::;;--~--------l
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,•
•
---
•
\ "
FINRllf.(~
HE THEN WeNT 70 CHANOIMGIJPTA TO BIO HIM I
FAREWEll.., 0 KING. MCf TENURE: IN. INDIA IS
aVE J1. I WISH TO RETURN HOME NOW.
HOPE CiOU ENd OCfE[)
~OUR
STAY WITH US·
GIVE MCf REGARDS TO
kiNG 5ELEUCUS.
HE BADE GOODBYE TO 7HE
GOODB~E
AND THANK ~OU . ~ou HAV6 BeEN A WONDERFUL COMPANION.
~
TO TElL 40U THE
'TRUTH, SIR) I 'WAS ASKED TO Spy ON 'IOU .
"---
/rIEGA51HENE5 RODE !iWR'I WESTWRRDS WfTH THE FOUR VOlUMES OF'HI!) INV~L(/I1BI.E INDICA;, THE FIRST 11.l1THENTIC ACCOUNT OF INO/II
TO ·THE wesrERN WORlD.
WHAT A CHARMING AND nJTELl.IGENT MAN ~ I
HOPE THE 4AVANAS AND lNDIA~S WilL COME CLOSER
NOW.
G(!iP&( 31
Illustrated Classics From India
Megasthenes Megasthenes was among the first foreigners to have visited India in historical times and given an eyewitness account of conditions prevailing in this country during the 4th century B.C . He was the ambassador of Selecus Nicator at the court of Chandragupata Maurva and he had the opportunity to travel extensively in the country and observe closely the proceedings at the royal court , various aspects of military and civil
administration, the geography to the country, the social and economic conditions of the people and the political institutions. He put down his observations in four vikunes entitled 'Indica'.
'Indica' in its original form has now been lost. but some later writers like Diodorus. Pliny. Strabo and Arrian have quoted from the work. Barring the few instances where Megasthenes had to rely on hearsay. his account of India is highly valued for its accuracy and authenticity. This story of Megasthenes is adapted from his own account of the India of his times. and the sequence of events in our narration has been modified for coherence and lucidity while maintaining the accuracy of historical records .
Editor: Anant Pai Script: Shubha Khandekar
Illustrations: Souren Roy
Cover: Ramesh Umrotkar
Related Titles Fa Hien • Hiuen Tsang. Chanakya Chandragupta Maurya • Paurava and Alexander
JSB N 81-7508- 422-7
INDIA BOOK HOUSE