________________
UDAYAN MANTRI AND HIS SONS
36 - Udayan Mantri and His Sons - Ämbad and Bähad
Udayan Mantri (Minister) The Solanki dynasty was the golden period for the state of Gujarat and the prosperity of the state reached its peak during the reign of King Kumärpäl. The credit for attaining this position mainly goes to his chancellors, who were known as "mantris". It is interesting to learn that many of the chancellors of the Solanki period were Jains. The contribution of Udayan Mantri and his sons, Ambad and Bähad, to the rise and success of King Kumärpäl was substantial. Originally, Udayan was a simple merchant in a village named Vägharä near the town of Jälore, Rajasthan. He
Shrävikä Lachchhi helping a Jain shrävak
could hardly make ends meet and was passing his days in hardship. His wife, Suhädevi, suggested they move to a place with better economic prospects. During this time, King Siddharaj was ruling the state of Gujarat, and its prosperity was increasing by leaps and bounds. Hence, Udayan thought about migrating to Gujarat. At that time, King Siddharäj of Gujarat had built a new town named Karnävati (Amdäväd) in the memory of his father Karnadev. Since Karnävati was a fast growing city, Udayan decided to move there. He did not know anyone there so he first went to the local Jain temple. When Udayan arrived a religious lady named Lachchhi was worshipping in the temple. As she came out, she noticed the new young couple and asked them where they were from. Udayan replied that they were from Rajasthan and he was looking for some business in Karnävati.
JAIN STORY BOOK
(131
