History of Gujarát: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume I, Part I.Campbell, James M.
History
History of Gujarát: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume I, Part I.
Campbell, James M.
Gujarat (India) -- History
According to the author of the Prabandhachintámani Lákhá met his death
in a different contest with Múlarája. Lákhá who is described as the
son of Phuladá, and Kámalatá daughter of Kírttirája a Parmár king,
is said to have been invincible because he was under the protection
of king Yasovarman of Málwa. He defeated Múlarája's army eleven
times. In a twelfth encounter Múlarája besieged Lákhá in Kapilakot,
slew him in single combat, and trod on his flowing beard. Enraged at
this insult to her dead son Lákhá's mother called down on Múlarája's
descendants the curse of the spider poison that is of leprosy. [529]
Mr. Forbes, apparently from bardic sources, states that on his
wife's death Ráji the father of Múlarája went to the temple of
Vishnu at Dwárká. On his return he visited the court of Lákhá
Phuláni and espoused Lákhá's sister Ráyáji by whom he had a son
named Rákháich. This marriage proved the ruin of Ráji. In a dispute
about precedence Lákhá slew Ráji and many of his Rájput followers,
his wife Ráyáji becoming a Satí. Bíja the uncle of Múlarája urged his
nephew to avenge his father's death and Múlarája was further incited
against Lákhá because Lákhá harboured Rákháich the younger son of
Ráji at his court as a rival to Múlarája.
According to the Dvyásraya, either from the rising power of his son
or from repentance for his own rough acts, after Chámunda's victory
over Bárappa Múlarája installed him as ruler and devoted himself to
religion and charity. According to the Prabandhachintámani Múlarája
built in Anahilaváda a Jain temple named Múlavasatiká. But as the
Nandi symbol on his copperplate shows that Múlarája was a devoted
Saivite, it is possible that this temple was built by some Jain guild
or community and named after the reigning chief. [530] Múlarája built
a Mahádeva temple called Múlasvámi in Anahilaváda, and, in honour of
Somanátha, he built the temple of Mulesvara at Mandali-nagara where
he went at the bidding of the god. [531] He also built at Anahilaváda
a temple of Mahádeva called Tripurushaprásáda on a site to which the
tradition attaches that seeing Múlarája daily visiting the temple of
Múlanáthadeva at Mandali, Somanátha Mahádeva being greatly pleased
promised to bring the ocean to Anahilaváda. Somanátha came, and the
ocean accompanying the god certain ponds became brackish. In honour
of these salt pools Múlarája built the Tripurushaprásáda. Looking
for some one to place in charge of this temple, Múlarája heard of an
ascetic named Kanthadi at Siddhapura on the banks of the Sarasvatí
who used to fast every other day and on the intervening day lived on
five morsels of food. Múlarája offered this sage the charge of the
temple. The sage declined saying 'Authority is the surest path to
hell.' Eventually Vayajalladeva a disciple of the sage undertook the
management on certain conditions. Múlarája passed most of his days at
the holy shrine of Siddhapura, the modern Sidhpur on the Sarasvatí
about fifteen miles north-east of Anahilaváda.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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