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5. AGRA.
THe Realm of AGRA is bounded on the North, with Delly, and Mandao; on the South, with Sang••, and Cambaia; on the West, with Indus, which parteth it from the Province of Sinda, a part of the Kingdome of Cambaia; on the East, with Oristan, or Orixa. So called from Agra the chief City of it, and the Seat Royall, of late times, of the Great Monguls.
The Country said to be the best and most pleasant of India, plentifull in all things, and such a delicate, even peece of ground, as the like is hardly to be seen. Well watered, as with other Rivers, so most espe∣cially with those of Tamtheo and Jemena; which last runneth thorow the middest of it, North and South, or rather from the North-west to the South-east: from whence bending more directly Eastwards, it falleth at last into the Ganges, or that which is supposed to be Ganges, for the bed of that great River is no: ncer∣tainly known. The People for the most part Gentiles; Mahometanism coming in with the Great Mogul; and generally inclining somewhat to the Pythagorean. For such as live upon the banks of the River Jemena, neither eat flesh, nor kill any thing. The waters of which River they esteem so sacred, that thereof they usu∣ally make their Temple, and say their prayers therein, but naked (in which posture they both dress their meat and eat it): lodging upon the ground, being imposed by them as a penance, and so conceived.
Places of most esteem herein, 1. Fattpore, or Fettebarri, on the West-side of the River, a very fair and goodly City, once beautified with a Royall Palace here built by Echebar (after the removall of his Court from Cascimar) with many spacious gardens belonging to it, but much decaied, since the fixing of the Court at Agra, to which most of the Stones are carried, and no small quantity of Corn sowed within the Walls. 2. Agra, on the North bank of the River Jemena; inferiour to Lanor for wealth and great∣ness, but far more populous: the constant residence of the Court here in these latter times, drawing to it great resort of all sorts of People. By some supposed to be the Nagara of Ptolomy; but such a supposition as is built on no better ground, than some resemblance of the names. For Ptolomies Nagara is by him placed on the Western-side of Indus, in the Latitude of 33. whereas this Agra standeth on the East of the River Jemena, five Degrees more Southwards, in the Latitude of 28. But what it loseth in Antiquity, it hath got in honor: the Town and Territory being a peculiar Kingdome, till Echebar the Mogul subdued it, Anno 1598 in his passage from Lahor to Decan. But it lost nothing by the hand. For Echebar delighted in the situation of it (and that withall it stood in the middest of his Kingdomes) made it the Seat Royall of his Empire; fixt there, for the most part ever since: by means whereof exceedingly increased in wealth, beauty and greatness: the very Castle in which the Mogul usually resideth, being two miles in compass, envi∣roned with most high and unscalable walls, and fortified with great store of Ordinance. The whole space be∣twixt it and Fatipore, being 18. miles, affirmed to be a continuall Market: and all the Intervall from hence to the Town of Lahor (from which distant 600 miles towards the South) adorned with continuall Rowes of Trees on both sides of the wayes, most of them bearing a kind of Mulber••y; and at every ten miles end, houses erected by the King or some of the Nobles, for beautifying the way to the Regall City, preserving their own memory, and the safe lodging of Passengers, in danger otherwise, by night of Theeves and Cut∣throats. 3. Hendee, a Town more towards the South, beautified with a fair Castle of the Kings, cut out of the main Rock, and wrought with carved work round about, fortified with 50 peeces of Ordinance, and thought impregnable: for that cause made a Prison for great persons. Here are also two Hospitals for such Captains (and Captains only) as are maimed in the wars. 4. Beani, twelve course or 18. miles from Fattipore; the most noted place for Indico in all the Indies; for the making whereof they have here twelve mills. Which Indico, (by the way) groweth on a small shrub like our Goose-berry-bushes, bearing seed like a Cabbage-seed: which being cut down, are laid in heaps for half a year, and when rotten, brought into a vault, to be trodden with Oxen from the Stalks, and being ground small and fine at the Mills, is last of all boiled in furnaces, refined and sorted.