A FOUNDATION FOR HISTORYChachnama's truncated history, beginning with the foundation of
a Brahmin polity that is later mirrored by the Muslim one, is at odds
with any text in the genre of conquest literature. Just as we cannot take
at face value Chachnama's insistence on being a translation, we must
reject the invocation of the fathnama as its historical perch. Chachnama
does not posit an expansive geography with a triumphant Islam; nor
does it offer a clear case for the political authority of Islam. Its presen-
tation of the pre-Islamic period is in sharp contrast to the typical con-
quest narrative.^37 Here is Chachnama's opening, describing the city of
Aror and the polity of Sind:
Reporters of tradition [ravian-e hadi$) and authors of histories (mu-
sanifan-e tawarikh) describe thus the city of Aror, which was the
capital (dar ul-mulk) of Hind and Sind. It was a grand and lively city,
ornamented with palaces of various kinds, wide and colorful roads,
streams, fountains, gardens, and orchards. It was founded by the shore
of the river Sehwan, which is called Mehran.
The king of this lively city was Rai Sihars bin Sahsi, whose trea-
sury was full and coffers plentiful. His justice and his generosity were
known around the world. The limit& [hadud) of his polity (mamalik
o masalik) extended to the north until Kashmir, to the east until
Makran, to the south until Daybul and the shore of the Great S~a
[lab-e ab dar'ia-e muhit), to the west until the mountains of Kik,,man.
To his four provinces he had assigned four governors (mulk ra).^38
In Baladhuri, the land was devoid of sustenance, and the geography
evoked only trepidation. In Chachnama, the reader encounters a strik-
ingly different geography, focusing on urbanity as well as on civic and
political order. Baladhuri described the frontier as a volatile and tur-
bulent one: "Governors were dispatched to Sind, they fought the ene-
mies, collected the little tribute available, and suppressed the people
who rebelled."^39 As it progresses through the Umayyad regimes and
into the '.Abbasid era, Baladhuri's narrative sustains the constant theme
of disruption and distress.
In contrast, Chachnama begins with claims of stability and of limits
on political power. Chachnama describes the conquest of Sind after
Chach takes the throne of Aror with the help of Queen Rani Sohnan
Devi. He must embark on a campaign to conquer or ally with the four
provinces of his polity. The first city he approaches is the city of Uch