________________
Introduction
CLXXXvit been in proportion to this central building. We learn from it also that there were statues of Aşvapatis (- Masters of Horses - ), Gajapatis (Masters of Elephants, ) Narapatis - ( Masters of Men, ) and that in front of these statues was the statue of Jayasimha himself with his hands folded in the pose of a devotee before Şiva praying that the temple may never suffer destruction.' When the flag was hoisted on the Rudramahākālaprāsāda, the flags from the Jaina temples were lowered (p. 61 ).
A composition in the Apabhramşa of the poet Gadda describing the Rudra-Mahālaya is quoted in the Upadeşatarangiņī of Ratnamandira mentioned above. The text of the poem is not correctly printed but from the last line it appears that the poem was addressed to Jayasimha Chakravarti personally; so presumably it must be a contemporary record. From it, we learn, 'there were 1444 ‘varas' (?) + 1700 pillars, 1800 pūttalis set with jewels and rubies and garments of silver, thirty thousand flag - staffs, and 10,000 golden kalaşas and fifty - six kodi ( which may mean either 56 crores or 56 twenties ) images of horses and elephants. 'Says the poet Gadda, the temple delights gods and men. Oh Chakravartin Jayasimha! your fame shines in this famous place !' (pp. 64 - 65). There are other ballads in old Gujarati giving different figures for pillars etc.
We learn from an old unpublished prabandha that the minister Aliga was appointed to look after the
+The meaning of this word is not clear. It might refer to vārängadás-dancing damsels. Or there might be some mistake in the reading,
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org