India Summary and Analysis

Sailing sixty miles west from Ceylon brings one to the province of Maabar in Greater India. This is the richest province in the world and is ruled by five kings who are all brothers of each other. Sender Bandi Devar rules a kingdom where pearls of great size and beauty are gathered from the gulf between the island and the mainland. Pearls are collected from oysters offshore from Bettala by divers at the bottom of the sea. They are collected every year in April and early May for export throughout the world. The king and all his subjects "go stark naked all the year around" except for a scrap of cloth on their private parts. The king also wears a necklace of prayer beads in honor of the idols. The king redeems pearls or gems over a certain weight for twice...