Gazetteer Of The Multan District (1901-02)

· 1902 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1Hultan District, j

2CnAP. VI.-TOWNS, MUNICIPALITIES AND CANTONMENTS. 327

3' Millasthiinapura..’ Albiruiii, writing in the beginning ot the Chapter VI,

411th century, quotes (as will be seen below)"a Kashmirian Towns Mnniol-

5anthov, who calls the town, apparently, Miila-tiina ; and Mmishi palitios ’and Can-

6Ilukni Chand, in his vernncnlar History, says that an early tonments.

7name of the town was Mula^tr/ing or Miilatdran. In present u„it„„.Na„,p

8conventional Sanskrit usage both Mula-trana and Mulaisthana

9soon to be used.

10Tn this uncertainty as to the orij/inal form of ihe "immo, it is porliaps

11aiiperfinoiis to ir.qiiiro into its meaniut?. Writers oC all kinds Imvc, however,

12leapt into tho bretieh ; ami wo are told (a) that Mula ropresontB the Malli,

13the ti-iho which fonnrlit Alexander; or (h) that Main me.-ms ‘origin,’ and Mnltan

14means ‘the original abode’; or (c) that Mula moiiiis ‘eenn'o,’ and Multan

15* the centre of the world ’ ; or (d) that Miila is an eijnivaleiit of nnotluM* word

16and that other word is an equivalent of the snn : .so that Multan is ‘tlie plnci’

17of the sun-god.

18Albiriuii quote.s from Utpala, a native of Kashiuir, who in his conmienlary

19on A'iiahamihra’a Sanhita is said to write : ‘Thoname.sof countries change,

20and particularly in tho yngas. So Multan was originally called Kasyapapiirn,

21then Hansapura, then llagapura, then Siimlihapura, and then .\fiilasthan.n,

221 .*., tho original place, for mula means root, origin, and tiina moans p!ac\’

23(Sach. Alb,, i. 208) f The same legend is reproduced in acoujdct known among

24the pandits of the city^ which runs:—

25Hanspur ; Blnigpiir ; Sluimpur; chautha par Multan ;

26Panchw.an pur p.ahajhar thiai Arepiir Sultiin,

27Itanppur is said tn have been outside the Bohar gate, and Bhagpnr

28near Bihi Parkdaman, south of the city railway station ; while Arepnr, or the

29Oily on the High (Jronnd, which is ultimatoly to lie the Hulor, is .said to

30represent tlio prestmt cantonments.

31The Arabs Inid furtlior stories as to the city and it.s name. Dm Kliurdndba

32(died 9J2 A.D.) says Multan was called ‘the Farj of tho house of gold’; and

33Mitsudi (died 05(5 A.D.) writes tliat the word Multan means ‘the boumbiry

34of gold (Ell. Hist, i. 14, 21). ' Farj according to Dowson, is boro used in tho

35sense of ‘ frontier’; but Ravorty reads ‘Farkh’ or temple (J. R. A. R*, 1802, p.

36190). The references to gold are explained by iho account of tho old teinplo

37given below.

38The geueral history of Multan city is mu cl i tbo same bs Visits of European

39that of tlie district at li4rge (see Chapter II above). The city travellers,

40was from time to time visited by European travellers, and it is

41of some interest to read their various d0scription.s

42Still and Crowther, who were hero on 22nd May, IGM, say that Multan

43'is a great and ancient citie within three course (kos) of Indus, but poorc ;

44for which cause they detain the caravans there divers dayes, eight, ten or twelve

45to benefit tho citie.'

46De Laot.’s description in his compilation is as follows ‘ Multan proyiucia

47amplisaima est ot imprimis fertilis ot mercimoniis valdo opportunii ob tria

48flumina qnae ilium rigant, ot hand longe a metropoli confluiint. Metropolis

49* These guesses are noted in Hiikm Chand, p. i'J, and Cunningham’s Anc.

50Geog., pp. 2113-4.

51f Cnnningham has an explanation for .all these names, see his Anc. Geog,,

52pp. 232-3. On the strength of the name Kasyapapura, he even goes so far

53as to identify Multan with the Kaspapuros of Hekataeus, the Kaspaluros

54of Herodotns and the Kaspeira of Ptolemy (Arch. Bepts , v., 129. cf. Dr. M, L.

55Stein in J. A. S. B. 1899., ‘ Anc. Geog. of Kashmir, pp. 9—12.