Saturday, June 26, 2010

Chachnama, a contemporary account of the first muslim invasion of Sindh, India (711 AD)

A little preface from my side.

A must read for all Indians especially Hindus to understand the Muslim invasion of Sindh, India. The 'Causes Belli', Islamic religious fervour, resistance, politics, intrigue, betrayal of the Buddhist. This book is a contemporary Arabic account of what transpired and evidently is biased towards the Arabs and Mohammed Bin Qasim. The real heroes of this epic saga is Raja Chach who laid the foundation of the Chach dynasty and his son Raja Dahir (Chach is an Arabic corruption of Chibber, Saraswat Brahmin rulers of Sindh). Raja Dahir is still a great hero of the Sindhi people irrespective of religious affiliations.


Based on more recent and extensive research of Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad and Maulana Nadvi on Indo-Arab relations state that between 638 AD and 711 AD the Arabs launched as many as 15 failed attacks with all of them being repulsed with heavy loss of life on the Arab side. In fact in a few instances only 6 and once only 2 soldiers returned to Baghdad. Interestingly, Sinan a relative of Mohammed who the prophet blessed at birth to succeed in all endeavours of whom Sinan even claimed to have dreamt of during his campaign promising success died at Brahmanabad killed by the Sindhis in battle, his army was annihilated to the last man. It was only the 16th expedition that succeeded, temporarily. Thus with this perspective we should read the Chachnama when force of arms and jihad could not deliver success to the Arabs the betrayal of our own people handed over the gates of the fort and our lands to our enemies.

The villains are the Buddhist who acted as the 5th column of the Islamic horde against their Brahmin rulers and of course the Arabs who tried to find the slightest excuse to wage war against Sindh. Buddhist obviously resented the Brahmins, their religious rivals and conspired with the Arabs to oust them. Bin Qasim on the other hand continuously complained of Raja Dahir withholding tribute to the Caliph and thus Causes Belli. In fact Raja Dahir was a powerful ruler and an independent sovereign owing nothing to the Caliph. Bin Qasim starts his invasion at Debal or Devalaya an important trading port of Sindh under the pretext that Raja Dahir had captured some muslims ships and passengers which in fact was the act of piracy by some freebooters and the Raja had no part in it.

At any rate Bin Qasim would have been routed and destroyed at the very outset if Raja Dahir had not listened to suspect advice given by a Alafi Arab in his service and instead taken the battle to the enemy at the outskirts of Debal itself. It was not to be and even though Raja Dahir and his soldiers fought bravely he attained martyrdom leaving his kingdom to his son Jai Sen another great warrior.

However, more than heroes, the period of Arab conquest of Sindh had its heroines --- Surya Devi and Parimal Devi, the daughters of Dahir. Mohammed Bin Qasim had sent them to Khalifa Walid in Baghdad for his harem. The caliph, reports the Chachnama, was "charmed with their perfect beauty'' and their blood-sucking blandishments''. However, the two princesses said to the Khalifa that Qasim had already violated their chastity. The Caliph flew into a rage. He ordered that Mohammed Bin Qasim be killed and his body brought to him in a bullock's hide. When the orders were duly executed, the princesses revealed that they had cooked up the violation story only to avenge "the ruination of the king of Sindh and Hind and desolation of the kingdom of our fathers and grandfathers''. The enraged Caliph ordered them tortured to death and had their torn bodies thrown into the river Tigris. The defeat of Sindh had been partly avenged.



Not in this book:

After the death of Raja Dahir in battle the Arab influence was confined to Debal and the surrounding coastline. Dahir's son Jaisiah had become a Muslim to survive only to become Hindu again to live with honor. The Arabs thereupon sent a huge army twenty-five years later under the leadership of Salim. In the titanic battle that raged on the Sindh-Rajasthan border, Jai Sen, assisted by his mother Ladi, and the redoubtable Bappa Rawal of Chittor (A.D. 739-753),and blessed by Hirat Swami, worsted the Arabs. A treaty of peace was signed only when Salim surrendered all equipment, gave his daughter Maiya in marriage to Bappa Rawal, and vowed that the Arabs would never again attack India. But then who has ever known a muslim to have kept his word to an infidel.

Legend has it that Raja Dahir was so powerful and renowned around the known world that he even offered refuge to Imam Hussain who was being persecuted in Arabia. Imam Hussain in fact was on his ways to Sindh when was he was way laid and killed treacherously at Karbala by Yazid, I believe an agent of the Caliph.

Please read on and enjoy. Keep in mind that this is an Arabic account so take facts with a fist full of salt and pepper. 

The Chachnamah; Ancient History of Sindh


Also enjoy another of my post on similar topic. This should really open the readers eyes.

http://sowingseedsofthought.blogspot.com/2009/02/heroic-hindu-resistance-to-islamic.html

4 comments:

  1. "Legend has it that Raja Dahir was so powerful and renowned around the known world that he even offered refuge to Imam Hussain who was being persecuted in Arabia. Imam Hussain in fact was on his ways to Sindh when was he was way laid and killed treacherously at Karbala by Yazid, I believe an agent of the Caliph."

    Where did you get this informaiton from. Dahir was born in 661 and Imam Hussiain was martyred in 669 (?), so an eight year old Dahir invited him to Sind and he was coming to Sind? Also, Yazid was not the agent of Caliph, but was himself the Caliph. Please read a real history book.

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    1. You you are correct, I have quoted from this book and thus the Arab historian must have made some mistake

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  2. Its realy funny that Raja dahir offered refuge to Imam Hussain, even his father was not born at that time.....lol

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    1. You you are correct, I have quoted from this book and thus the Arab historian must have made some mistake

      Delete