Were the chakram's only used by the Sikhs?

Jens Nordlunde · 14th October 2007, 04:13 PM

I am, at the moment, reading The Itinerary of Ludovico di Varthema of Bologna, who, from 1502-1508 travelled in the Arabic World and on the Indian west coast.

On page 46 and 47 Lodovico has come to the city of Cambay in Gujarat, and tells that Sultan Mahmud Baigara captured the city from the king of Gujarat about forty years earlier [ca. 1450]. He also tells that the city supply Persia, Tartary, Turkey, Syria, Barbary, that is Africa, Arabia Felix, Ethiopia, India, and a multitude of inhabited islands, with silk and cotton stuff, so it must have been a big city already then.

The rich Sultan often fights with one of his neighbours called the king of the Ioghe [Jogi], living fifteen days journey away. When the king of Ioghe is not fighting, he and his men go out begging, and when they come into a town they blow in small horns, so the citizens know they ‘would like’ to get something to eat. They don’t only have the small horns, they are also armed. “Some of them carry a stick with a ring of iron at the base. Others carry certain iron dishes which cut all around like razors, and they throw these with a sling when they wish to injure any person; and, therefore, when these people arrive at any city in India, every one tries to please them; for should they even kill the first nobleman of the land, they would not suffer any punishment becourse they say that they are saints.”
(see Stone page 168 “212 and page 422 # 27).

Does anyone know where the king of Jogi lived? They can hardly be from Punjab, as the author says it is fifteen day journey away, and that sounds to me, to be too far away.

14th October 2007, 04:13 PM	#1
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,713	Were the chakram's only used by the Sikhs? I am, at the moment, reading The Itinerary of Ludovico di Varthema of Bologna, who, from 1502-1508 travelled in the Arabic World and on the Indian west coast. On page 46 and 47 Lodovico has come to the city of Cambay in Gujarat, and tells that Sultan Mahmud Baigara captured the city from the king of Gujarat about forty years earlier [ca. 1450]. He also tells that the city supply Persia, Tartary, Turkey, Syria, Barbary, that is Africa, Arabia Felix, Ethiopia, India, and a multitude of inhabited islands, with silk and cotton stuff, so it must have been a big city already then. The rich Sultan often fights with one of his neighbours called the king of the Ioghe [Jogi], living fifteen days journey away. When the king of Ioghe is not fighting, he and his men go out begging, and when they come into a town they blow in small horns, so the citizens know they ‘would like’ to get something to eat. They don’t only have the small horns, they are also armed. “Some of them carry a stick with a ring of iron at the base. Others carry certain iron dishes which cut all around like razors, and they throw these with a sling when they wish to injure any person; and, therefore, when these people arrive at any city in India, every one tries to please them; for should they even kill the first nobleman of the land, they would not suffer any punishment becourse they say that they are saints.” (see Stone page 168 “212 and page 422 # 27). Does anyone know where the king of Jogi lived? They can hardly be from Punjab, as the author says it is fifteen day journey away, and that sounds to me, to be too far away.