Kalat

Location of Quetta

Kalat (कलात) is a district in Balochistan province of Pakistan.

Variants of name

• Cilluta (Anabasis by Arrian, p. 347.)
• Cilluta (Arrian)
• Killuta
• Kalat
• Qalat

Jat Gotras Namesake

• Kalota = Kalat = Cilluta (Anabasis by Arrian, p. 347.). Kalat is a district in Balochistan province of Pakistan.

Ch.19: Voyage down the Indus into the sea. (p.346-348)

Arrian writes.... WHILE their vessels were moored here, the phenomenon of the ebb of the tide in the great sea occurred, so that their ships were left upon dry ground. This even in itself caused Alexander and his companions to small alarm, inasmuch as they were previously quite unacquainted with it. But they were much more alarmed when, the time coming rotind again, the water approached and the hulls of the vessels were raised aloft.¹ The ships which it caught settled in the mud were raised aloft without any damage, and floated again without receiving any injury; but those that had been left on the drier land and had not a firm settlement, when an immense compact wave advanced, either fell foul of each other or were dashed against the land and thus shattered to pieces. When Alexander had repaired these vessels as well as his circumstances permitted, he sent some men on in advance down the river in two boats to explore the island at which the natives said he must moor his vessels in his voyage to the sea. They told him that the name of the island was Cilluta.² As he was informed that there were harbours in this island, that it was a large one and had water in it, he made the rest of his fleet put in there; but he himself with the best sailing ships advanced beyond, to see if the mouth of the river afforded an easy voyage out into the open sea. After advancing about 200 stades from the first island, they descried another which was quite out in the sea. Then indeed they returned to the island in the river; and having moored his vessels near the extremity of it, Alexander offered sacrifice to those gods to whom he said he had been directed by Ammon to sacrifice. On the following day he sailed down to the other island which was in the deep sea; and having come to shore here also, he offered other sacrifices to other gods and in another manner. These sacrifices he also offered according to the oracular instructions of Ammon. Then having gone beyond the mouths of the river Indus, he sailed out into the open sea, as he said, to discover if any land lay anywhere near in the sea; but in my opinion, chiefly that he might be able to say that he had navigated the great outer sea of India. There he sacrificed some bulls to Poseidon and cast them into the sea; and having poured out a libation after the sacrifice, he threw the goblet and bowls, which were golden, into the deep as thank-offerings, praying the god to escort safely for him the fleet, which he intended to despatch with Nearchus to the Persian Gulf and the mouths of the Euphrates and Tigres³.

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1. Cf. Curtius (ix. 35, 36); Caesar (Bell. Gall. iv. 29). τα σκάφη εμετεωριζοντο. Arrian does not comply with the Attic rule, that the plural neuter should take a verb in the singular. Compare ii. 20, 8; v. 17, 6 and 7; etc.

2. Plutarch (Alex. 66) says that Alexander called the island Scillustis; but others called it Psiltucis. He also says that the voyage down the rivers to the sea took seven months.

3. In regard to this expedition, see Arrian, vii. 20 infra.

p.346-348

Location

Mehrgarh is located near the Bolan Pass, to the west of the Indus River valley and between the now Pakistani cities of Quetta, Kalat and Sibi.

Tahsils

The district is administratively subdivided into the following tehsils:

• Kalat
• Surab
• Mangocher

History

Dalip Singh Ahlawat writes that the Jat King Chitravarma of Kalat had war with Alexander the Great.

The Jalwani division of Shirani is apparently derived from the Jhala (Makwahana), which probably gave its name to the Jhalawar division of Kalat Balochistan.

H. W. Bellew writes that adjoining the Mangal are the Jadran. The Jadran probably represent the ancient Gadrosai of the Greeks, and appear to have been forced up into their isolated position in the time of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, who, it is supposed, transplanted them to this place when he invaded the Kalat and Las provinces of Balochistan, and replaced them there by the Jhalawan tribe. The ancient Gadrosai are represented in their native country by the Gadari of Las, and it is this name in the plural form of Gadaran which is the source of our Jadran. clan is found in Afghanistan.

इतिहास

जब सिकन्दर अपनी सेना सहित बलोचिस्तान पहुंचा तो वहां के जाट राजा चित्रवर्मा ने जिसकी राजधानी कलात (Kalat) थी, सिकन्दर से युद्ध किया।

Ch.19: Voyage down the Indus into the sea.

Arrianwrites.... WHILE their vessels were moored here, the phenomenon of the ebb of the tide in the great sea occurred, so that their ships were left upon dry ground. This even in itself caused Alexander and his companions to small alarm, inasmuch as they were previously quite unacquainted with it. But they were much more alarmed when, the time coming rotind again, the water approached and the hulls of the vessels were raised aloft.¹ The ships which it caught settled in the mud were raised aloft without any damage, and floated again without receiving any injury; but those that had been left on the drier land and had not a firm settlement, when an immense compact wave advanced, either fell foul of each other or were dashed against the land and thus shattered to pieces. When Alexander had repaired these vessels as well as his circumstances permitted, he sent some men on in advance down the river in two boats to explore the island at which the natives said he must moor his vessels in his voyage to the sea. They told him that the name of the island was Cilluta.² As he was informed that there were harbours in this island, that it was a large one and had water in it, he made the rest of his fleet put in there; but he himself with the best sailing ships advanced beyond, to see if the mouth of the river afforded an easy voyage out into the open sea. After advancing about 200 stades from the first island, they descried another which was quite out in the sea. Then indeed they returned to the island in the river; and having moored his vessels near the extremity of it, Alexander offered sacrifice to those gods to whom he said he had been directed by Ammon to sacrifice. On the following day he sailed down to the other island which was in the deep sea; and having come to shore here also, he offered other sacrifices to other gods and in another manner. These sacrifices he also offered according to the oracular instructions of Ammon. Then having gone beyond the mouths of the river Indus, he sailed out into the open sea, as he said, to discover if any land lay anywhere near in the sea; but in my opinion, chiefly that he might be able to say that he had navigated the great outer sea of India. There he sacrificed some bulls to Poseidon and cast them into the sea; and having poured out a libation after the sacrifice, he threw the goblet and bowls, which were golden, into the deep as thank-offerings, praying the god to escort safely for him the fleet, which he intended to despatch with Nearchus to the Persian Gulf and the mouths of the Euphrates and Tigres³.

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1. Cf. Curtius (ix. 35, 36); Caesar (Bell. Gall. iv. 29). τα σκάφη εμετεωριζοντο. Arrian does not comply with the Attic rule, that the plural neuter should take a verb in the singular. Compare ii. 20, 8; v. 17, 6 and 7; etc.

2. Plutarch (Alex. 66) says that Alexander called the island Scillustis; but others called it Psiltucis. He also says that the voyage down the rivers to the sea took seven months.

3. In regard to this expedition, see Arrian, vii. 20 infra.

p.346-348

References

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