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
Kumárapála's temple seems to have suffered in every subsequent
Muhammadan invasion, in Alaf Khan's in A.D. 1300, in Mozaffar's in
A.D. 1390, in Mahmúd Begada's about A.D. 1490, and in Muzaffar II.'s
about A.D. 1530. Time after time no sooner had the invader passed than
the work of repair began afresh. One of the most notable restorations
was by Khengár IV. (A.D. 1279-1333) a Chúdásamá king of Junágadh who
is mentioned in two Girnár inscriptions as the repairer of Somanátha
after its desecration by Alá-ud-dín Khilji. The latest sacrilege,
including the turning of the temple into a mosque, was in the time
of the Ahmadábád king Muzaffar Sháh II. (A.D. 1511-1535). Since then
no attempt has been made to win back the god into his old home.
In the side wall near the door of the little shrine of Bhadrakáli
in Patan a broken stone inscription gives interesting details of the
temple of Somanátha. Except that the right hand corners of some of the
lines are broken, the inscription is clear and well preserved. It is
dated A.D. 1169 (Valabhi 850). It records that the temple of the god
Somesa was first of gold built by Soma; next it was of silver built
by Rávana; afterwards of wood built by Krishna; and last of stone
built by Bhímadeva. The next restoration was through Ganda-Brihaspati
under Kumárapála. Of Ganda-Brihaspati it gives these details. He was
a Kanyákubja or Kanoj Bráhman of the Pásupata school, a teacher of
the Málwa kings, and a friend of Siddharája Jayasimha. He repaired
several other temples and founded several other religious buildings
in Somanátha. He also repaired the temple of Kedáresvara in Kumaon
on learning that the Khasa king of that country had allowed it to
fall into disrepair. After the time of Kumárapála the descendants of
Ganda-Brihaspati remained in religious authority in Somanátha.
Kumárapála made many Jain benefactions. [613] He repaired the temple
of Ságala-Vasahiká at Stambha-tírtha or Cambay where Hemáchárya
received his initiation or díkshá. In honour of the lady who gave him
barley flour and curds he built a temple called the Karambaka-Vihára
in Patan. He also built in Patan a temple called the Mouse or
Mushaka-Vihára to free himself from the impurity caused by killing a
mouse while digging for treasure. At Dhandhuka Hemáchárya's birthplace
a temple called the Jholiká-Vihára or cradle temple was built. Besides
these Kumárapála is credited with building 1444 temples.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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