Dr SYED MUHAMMAD HUSAYN NAINAR ‘This book is the outcome of a research project undertaken by Dr Syed Muhammad Husayn Nainar for a doctoral thesis atthe School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, under the guidance of the eminent British Orientalst, Prof. H.A.R. Gibb, I¢ was first published by the University of Madras in 1942, Dr Nainar corved asthe head of the Department of Oriental Suudies al the University of Madras for neatly three decades until his retirement in 1953, Among his other notable works are The History ofthe Navas of Carnatic (Kamataka) - a 13-volume encyclopaedic work produced under hie editorship; ‘Tubfarul Mujahideen — an English translation of the 10 century historical document in Arabic on the arrwval ofthe Portuguese in Kerala in South India, a ‘biography in Tamil on Seethakathi Vallal, a Muslim sage and philanthropist of the 18th Century; besides several English monographs on the aspects of Arabic, "Tamil, Hindi and Urdu linguistics, Dr. Nainar was deputed as visiting professor to Indonesia by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, Government of India, ‘in 1953 for the research on the cultural links between India and Indonesia AAs a result of this visi, he wrote a monograph on Java as noticed by Arab geographers. Besides his academic interests, Dr. Nainar was also involved in Journalism, He founded the Tamil daily Swatantiva Nadu (Independent Nation) tnd the commercial Noori Printing Press. Dr Nainar served as the Head of the Bahasa Indonesia Unit of the all India Radio in 1958/1960. Ile was invited by the Venksteshwara University in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh to eet up the first Arabic department there, He served as the Head of the Department of Arabic ‘until is desth in Soprember 1963 atthe age of 6,FOREWORD lhe monograph of Dr. Nainar is the fruit of a courageous undertaking carried out with much ability and crowned with success, He has carefully collected all the references to India and Indian affairs which have been made by early Arab geographers and subjected them to a thoroughly critical study, which has enabled him to determine how far they are related to one another and how far they rest upon independent authority; and in the course of this investigation he has succeeded in making some important corrections in the texts of these authors published by European scholars. This, however, is only a part of his work, though itis a fundamental part. His next task has been to present all the statements of the geographers in classified order, and to study them in detail. These statements relate to the geography, history, social life, and economic products of India; and on all these subjects Dr. Nainar's observations have thrown much new light. The imperfect knowledge of the Arab geographers and the corruptions which inevitably attend transliteration of foreign words into Arabic script often render the identification of the names of Indian places, men and things extraordinarily difficult; but Dr Nainar has done much to surmount these obstacles, and his work is one that must be welcomed as a valuable contribution to the study of an important side of Indian antiquities and of Arabic literature. School of Oriental Studies Vandon House, Vandon Street London S.W.I 23" June,1938 LD Barnett viiPREFACE his is the first time an attempt has been made to present a comprehensive survey of the knowledge of India possessed by Arab geographers with special reference to Southern India. A few scattered papers have appeared from time to time, dealing with Arabs’ knowledge of Southern India, but nowhere is there to be found any comprehensive account presenting the sum total of all information given by Arab writers. In addition to the study of various books, rare Arabic manu- scripts, in the libraries of London, Oxford and Paris, which add the particulars contained in the published works, notably in those of de Goeje, have been consulted and much original infor- mation has been gathered. ‘The Arabicised forms of South Indian names of places and per- sons are so varied that it would have been difficult to make progress, but for the writer’s knowledge of Southern India and of the Dravidian languages. This book was presented as a thesis for the University of London (Faculty of Arts) in fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. It is the product of two years residence in London, where I started work under the guid- ance of Prof H.A.R. Gibb; after his appointment to the Arabic Chair at Oxford, I worked under Sir E.Denison Ross of revered memory. Iam deeply indebted to them for their valuable advice and suggestions. I must also express my heartfelt thanks to Prof. A.S. Tritten for his help whenever I was in need of it ixI must not forget to acknowledge my gratitude to Miss O.Murray Browne, the Librarian, the School of Oriental Studies, London, for her unfailing courtesy and kindness during the period when, I worked in the library. University Buildings Triplicane, Madras 1st Jan 1942 S MUHAMMAD HUSAYN NAINAROTHER WORD Cones ago, the roaring sea was the only answer for the quest of the new. Voyages made landscapes and people. Each expedition constructed a new history of land and new versions of cultures. Some took the yoke of imperialism through these sea routes; some a mission of knowledge and cultural symbiosis. Arab Geographers’ Knowledge of Southern India is a construction of India from the narratives of famous Arab travellers. A fresh perception on the land of many cultures and some iconic navigators whose mission it was to pollinate knowledge and culture We are deeply grateful to Dr. Syed Muhammad Munawwar Nainar, son of the author, for his support in bringing out this invaluable reference work. We have no words to thank Ms. Nahla Nainar as well for her professional commitment to meticulously re-reading the text.