134 THE HALF SMILE
boundaries of his ethics as well as the social decorum of the court. In
Chachnama, Sohnan Devi epitomizes a political subjecthood that is
ethical and astute. She sets the tone for the rest of the text, where
women characters are key to political life. It is insufficient! to read
Sohnan Devi as simply a king maker or an enabler for Chach. Her di-
rect pronouncements carry a political theory: a capable, moral person
can become a king without a blood claim; political will requires the
management of the opinions of both the public and elite courtiers; and
political will requires bravery, ruthlessness, and commitment. Indeed,
she is herself the ruler while Chach is still making his claim. Sohnan
Devi thus shows extraordinary political acumen and a clear sense of
what it means to be an ethical ruler.
The second episode comes in the middle of the narrative and con-
cerns Chach's son Raja Dahar and his overthrow by Qasim. The Hindu
queen Ladi, the wife of Dahar, is now the protagonist who provides po-
litical acumen to the Muslim conqueror. Qasim has already killed
Dahar, and he is now besieging the fort of Aror. Ladi is captured by
the Muslim army and is asked to go to the ramparts and inform the
inhabitants that their king is dead and that they should surrender. She
goes to the fort, recounts Dahar's death, and asks the people to sur-
render. They yell back, "You are a liar. You have joined these cow-
eating thieves. Our king is still alive, and he will come with a great
army of many horses and drunk elephants, and he will repel these en-
emies. You have soiled yourself with these Arabs and prefer them to
your own people. Upon hearing this, Muhammad bin Qasim said,
'Statehood has left the house of Salaij.' "^10
Ladi does not respond to the accusations of treason from her sub-
jects but rather shows great restraint. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of
the city go to another powerful woman, a priestess, and ask her to de-
termine whether Dahar is alive or whether Queen Ladi is lying. The
'priestess meditates for a day and then says, "I traveled from the Cau-
casus to the Caucasus-around the world-but saw no sign of him in
Hind or in Sind, nor any word of him. If he was alive, he would not be
able· to hide from me. To give you proof of my travels: here are still-
green shoots from the plants of Ceylon. I am convinced your king is
dead."^11 Here is another powerful woman whose sacral claim over the
landscape is asserted and found convincing. Note that Chachnama pro-