|
The Indian Analyst
|
North Indian Inscriptions |
THE SILAHARAS OF NORTH KONKAN
Silahāra king to Kumārapāla in the assembly attended by his seventy-two feudatories. There is mush exaggeration in this account, but Ambaḍa, the son Udayana, is no doubt mentioned in some Jaina works as the conqueror of Mallikārjuna.[1] The Abu praśasti of Tējaḥpāla states that when Dhārāvarsha, the son of Paramāra Yaśōdhavala, resolutely fought on the battlefield, the wives of the king of Kauṅkaṇa shed tears from their lotus-like eyes.[2] This is taken by some as referring to the same conflict, but the description is vague. Again, the Pṛithvīrājavijaya of Jayānaka states that it was the Chāhamāna prince Sōmēśvara that cut off the head of the Kōṅkaṇa king.[3] None of these details of the conflict occur in the Kumārapālacharita of Hēmachandra, who was a contemporary of Kumārapāla and whose testimony is more reliable than that of the other writers. Hēmachandra has given the following graphic account of the conflict in that Prākrit work.[4] One day, while Kumārapāla was sitting in his Sabhā his Sāndhivigrahika came and narrated to him an account of the invasion of Koṅkaṇ. When the forces of Kumārapāla advanced on the capital, the Koṅkaṇ king came out to meet them. It seems that it was a surprise attack; for the soldiers of Mallikārjuna are said to have joined in the battle, giving up their bath at the wells. Mallikārjuna fought bravely mounted on an elephant. His forces penetrated the ranks of the enemy and for a time it appeared that his victory was certain. But the hostile forces rallied and covered the king’s elephant with a shower of arrows. Then Mallikārjuna fell down and his soldiers were completely routed. Some one then cut off his head. Kumārapāla thus became the lord of the western ocean.
..Hemachandra makes no mention of Ambaḍa or Sōmēśvara in his description of this war. He does not also state that there were two battles, the first of which Mallikārjuna won, but lost the second. He does not also describe that the head of Mallikārjuna was presented to Kumārapāla when he was sitting in his assembly. His account seems to be more reliable. In latter times the credit for this victory was given to Ambaḍa, who is described as a vaṇik (Baniā).[5] Jayānaka’s statement that the Chāhamāna prince Sōmēśvara, who was then staying in Aṇahilapatṭana. took part in the conflict may, however, be true; for the poet was not far removed from the time. ..The cause of this conflict is not known. Majumdar’s suggestion that since there was no danger of invasion from the Kadambas who were then engaged in a bitter struggle with the Hōyasḷas, Mallikārjuna may have dared to raid Gujarāt[6] is unwarranted. Both Hēmachandra and Mērutuṅga state that Kumārapāla was the aggressor. The former’s account of the battle shows that the Koṅkaṇ king was taken unawares. The Śilāhāras generally followed a peaceful policy and rarely dared to invade the neighbouring countries. On the other hand, Kumārapāla is known to have engaged himself in several aggressive wars. So he seems to have picked up a quarrel with the king of North Koṅkaṇ, though the reason for it given by Mērutuṅga seems to be fanciful. ..
Mallikārjuna was followed by Aparāditya II, but his relation to his predecessor is not
known. Four inscriptions[7] of his reign, dated Śaka 1106, 1107, 1108 and 1119 have been
[1] See e.g. Sōmadēva’s Kirtikaumudī, II, vv. 47-49. Sōmadēva describes that Kumārapāla himself cut to
smithereens Mallikārjuna’s head with his arrows. According to Hēmachandra, however, Kumārapāla
did not take any part in this war. See also Arisiṁha’s Sukṛitasaṅkīrtana, II, v. 43. He credits a vaṇik (baniā),
evidently Ambaḍa with the victory over Mallikārjuna. So also Bālachandra’s Vasantavilāsa, V, v. 43, and
Prabhāchandra’s Prabhāvakacharita, XXII, v. 726. Jayasiṁhasūri and Jinamaṇḍana describe the episode
mostly like Mērutuṅga.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| > |
|
>
|