Sushmajee
Dictionary Of Hindu Religion | History

History

Home | Rel-Dictionary | History

Notes

Back to History

   
Notes

Where is Shak Dweep
The following verse from the Udyog Parv of the MBH seems to show that the Shak Dweep was situated in the West.
Shakanaam Pahlavanaan cha Daradanam cha ye nripah |
Kaamboja Rishikaa ye cha pashchim.anupakash cha ye ||MBH, 5.5.15||

The kings of the Shak, the Pahlavaa, the Daradaas and the Kaamboj Rishikaa live in the Anooparegion" in the West.

According to MBH account Sakal Dweep got its name because of Shak tree ie Saagaun tree (Oak or Teak tree). Sakaldwip might have been the only place where this tree was found in ancient time.

(2) There is also a story in the "Kaalakaachaarya Kathaanak" by Mahesara Suri, which says that that Gardabhilaa, the king of Ujjayinee, abducted Saraswatee, the sister of the Jain monk Kaalakaachaarya and the monk took the help of a Shak King from the Shak Dweep to recover his sister. The Shak king defeated Gardabhilaa, recovered Saraswatee and captured Ujjayinee. Gardabhilaa retired to the forest and a tiger killed him there. His son Vikramaaditya defeated the Shak king and recovered Ujjayinee in 57 BCE. If the story is to be believed, then the Shak Dweep was probably situated to the west of Ujjayinee.

Vasco Da Gama
When Vasco da Gama came to India, his ship has crashed in Caaleecat and that was the first time European exploration started in sea and he took 24 months to cross the distance generally which others (Chinese and Arab) took maximum one month because they were not familiar with sea voyages which later they acquired all skills from colonies.

It was the King of Caaleecat, who gave him 7 ships with spices, free of cost as a token of a king (after giving him all treatment etc to gain strength because he was so weak to walk after traveling for 24 months in the sea and King acted against the advise of Chinese and Arab merchants present in court at that time saying "this is our custom to respect the asylum seekers and guests) and perhaps if this had not happened then the world would have been different.  Now what happened, that then Vasco Da Gama came with 80 ships (from the profits selling those spices which he took from here) and started firing at the Caaleecat port and destroyed lot of Arab ships and a ship carrying old men and woman and killing all who were traveling for Haj. Finally king had to sent his army to drive him away (even he cut the nose of a mediator)

 

Home | Rel-Dictionary | History

 

Back to History

Created by Sushma Gupta on 3/15/06
Contact:  sushmajee@yahoo.com
Updated on 02/06/13