Indian Antiquary Vol 08

SR No.: 032500
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 404
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 19 MB

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JUNE, 1879.
at a distance of five kos. The Rajâ seeing this seeing the idol hanging without any support, was overjoyed, and said:-"May the army never the Sultan was much astonished, but his vazirs return hither with the desire of conquering told him that there was iron in the head of the Patan, if he be now severely chastised, he idol, and a powerful magnet suspended above. will never again seek to enter the strong for- The Sultan ordered the magnet to be removed, tress of Patan." The idolaters of Patan and the image fell down. were delighted also, and said :-“The enemy The Râjâ now recollected that he had left have abandoned their batteries, and their Somanâth unprotected, and went thither hastily, hearths are cold," and accordingly they opened and tried to persuade the Sultan to spare the their gates and remained careless. While the image, saying that he would pay a heavy ranRaja was thus thrown off his guard, the Sultan som if the Sultan would not break it, but the mounted at night with all his army, and made Sultan vowed that he would not leave it unan attack on the gate of Patan. The two broken. His vazirs now advised him to take brothers Jafar and Muzafar were clothed in steel the Raja's money, and play a trick on him, and armour, and mounted on the foremost elephant to reduce the idol to lime, and then give it called Mithâ, which carried a yellow howdah. him to eat with his pán supéri.. The Sultan First they defeated the force encamped without assented to their advice, and sent to the Raja, the gate, and drove them into the city, and then and agreed to take ten lakhs as the ransom of brought their elephant Mitha to burst open the Somnanath. He then reduced the idol to powder, gate, but he recoiled from the spikes. Finally, and gave the Rájâ an entertainment, after the brethren placed a camel in front of his which he gave him the powder of the idol as head, and at the third charge he broke down | lime to eat with his pán supári. The Raja the gate. Then all Mahmud's army entered, paid the ten lakhs, and after the entertainment shouting "Din ! Din !" and the sword began to asked for permission to depart, and that Somaplay, and a terrible conflict ensued. God thus nâth might be handed over to him agreeably to guve the Sultan the victory through Jáfar and the compact. The Sultan then said: "I have Muzafar, one of whom however was slain. The already given Somanath to you, and you have cup of the Raja's iniquity was now full. The received him. I reduced him to powder, and orders of the Sultan were to slay and take no then burned him into lime, and you took that ransom, but to put all the infidels to the sword, line with your pân supári, and have therefore except those who repeated the Muhammadan not only taken him but also eaten him." creed. The soldiery now plundered the whole On hearing that they had eaten Sonjanath, the city, and slew all who would not repeat the Râjâ and his men prepared for death : some creed of Islam, and thus in the midst of the applied daggers to their own throats and some fortress fell Hamir and Vegad fighting vali- cut off their tongues with knives. While some antly; the courage of the RAJA on their fall thus died by their own hands, others seized their began to fail him, and he left his palace, and swords and attacked the Sultan, who put some came below, accompanied by 700 men, all kins- to the sword, and bound others. In this way men of his or chosen adherents. The Sultan the Sultan slew all the enemy who remained, now examined all the fort, and placing guards and expelled the Râjâ, and appeased the fears of over it, proceeded to surround and attack the | the faithful. Temple enclosure. The Rájâ, now seeing that The Sultân now built a handsome shrine to the all was lost, sent to ask quarter of the Sultan, Saint Mangaluri Shah, and also constructed and he agreed to spare their lives on receiving a mosque in memory of the brothers Jâ far and forty lakhs. The Râjâ gave security for the Muzafar, and he also built the Puri dome. It payment of this sum, and departed on his ele- is clear, then, that if the Rajå had not rejected phant, and the Sultan entered the temple, and the proposal of the Haji to adopt Islâm, his role saw the image of Soman åt h suspended in the would have remained, and he would not have air without being attached to anything. On thus lost his country.
• The poem does not say of what coin.
All the coast abounds in limestone, lime is eaten by natives with pán supáns.
10 Supart is the areca nut, and pan the leaf of the betel, & pepper vine.