INTRODUCTION 13
recounts the history of the Muslim commander Muhammad bin
Qasim, who established a Muslim polity in Sind. Uch currently lies
about 70 km north of the mega port-city of Karachi in Pakistan. Kufi ti-
tled his text The Book of Stories of the King Dahir bin Chach bin Sila'ij
and His Death at the Hands of Muhammad bin Qasim, but it became
known as Chachnama. The oldest extant manuscript of Chachnama is
dated 1651 CE and is currently in Punjab University's collection in
Lahore.^26 There are copies of the manuscript in the Talpur collection in
Hyderabad Sind, in the Rampur collection, in Bankipur, and at the
British Library in London. The recensions mostly date from the eigh-
teenth and nineteenth centuries. The first translation of an entire man-
uscript of Chachnama into English was done by the Sindhi dramatist
and translator Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg (1853-1929) in 1900.^27
This remains the only full English translation of the text--,-albeit
based on seven or eight manuscripts, not including the oldest, which
was discovered later. The first printing of the Persian text was done by
'Umar bin Muhammad Daudpota in 1939.^28 The Persian critical edi-
tion that I have relied upon for this study was produced by Nabi Baksh
Khan Baloch in 1982 under the aegis of the Institute of Islamic His-
tory, Culture, and Civilization in Islamabad.^29
The narrative of Chachnama, broadly sketched, is as follows:
Chachnama begins in the city of Aror, in lower Sind, and concerns the
rise to power of a young and talented Brahmin, Chach bin Sila'ij. It pres-
ents the political and social conditions at Aror prior to Chach's arrival
at the capital, his employment as a secretary for the kingts chief min-
ister, and the young queen's infatuation with him. The queen orches-
trates Chach's capture of the throne after the death of the king. After
becoming the king, Chach embarks on a campaign to reconquer "the
four quarters" of Sind. Chachnama details the taking of forts, en-
acting of agreements, and treatment of Buddhist and Hindu sub-
jects. Chach establishes a successful polity in Sind. After a long
rule he dies, and there is a struggle between his two sons-Dahar
and Dahar~a-for the throne. Dahar becomes the king of Aror aft~r
manipulating the throne away from his brother. Dahar's polity wel-
comes Arab rebels, pirates, and roaming warlords, becoming a par-
ticular problem for the Muslim state in Iraq.