________________
VADNAGAR PRASASTI OF THE REIGN OF KUMARAPALA.
295
importance. The passage regarding Jayasi ṁha-Siddharaja (verses 11-18) has unfor. tunately been mutilated. The only complete verse (11) mentions his taking the king of Malava, i.e., Yašovarman, captive and his possessing the philosopher's stone, or rather tincture, with the help of which he paid the debts of all his subjects, and it would seem that the fragments of verse 12 referred to the king's power over the evil spirits. It thus appears that Sripala, just as Hemachandra in the Doyásrayakávya, thought it necessary to endow his master with supernatural powers. The five verses 14 to 18, referring to Kumarapala, highly extol his two well-known victories over Arņoraja, the king of the North (verse 17), i.e., of Sakambhari-Sambhar in Rajputând, and over the ruler of Malava, the king of the East. The latter seems to have lost his life in the defence of his country; for verse 16 asserts that his head was suspended at the gate of KumArapâla's Palace, and verse 17 again alludes to his severed head. Both wars are mentioned in most other sources. Nevertheless it is important to learn from our Prakasti that they were finished before Vikrama Samvat 1208. Hitherto it was only possible to say, on the strength of the statements in the Namdol grant, that Arno. rhia had been conquered before Vikrama Samvat 1213. Now we learn that the rising in Malava, which Jayasimha had formerly annexed to Gujarat, was also subdued five years earlier.
Verses 19–29 contain the praise of the ancient Brahmaņical settlement of Nagara or Ånandapura and of the rampart with which Kumarapala surrounded it, as well as a wish for the duration of the latter. Anandapura, which now is usually called Vadnagar, or in Sanskrit Vriddhanagara, lies in the Kheralu subdivision of the Kadi district, belonging to the Gaikovåd of Baroda. The earliest mention of its existence occurs in Hiuen-Tsiang's Travels (Si-yu-ki, vol. II, p. 268). Somewhat later its name appears in the Valabht land grants, and it is probably this Anandapura where $iladitya VI. Dhrůbhata issued his sásana of (Gupta)-Sauvat 447.'
As is well known, it is the original home of the Nagaras, the most important section of the Brahmans of Gujarat, whose great influence with the princes of Gujarat is attested by credible testimony since the tenth century. Considering the early importance of the place, it is rather astonishing that, as the Prasasti asserts, it had no walls until the reign of Kumarapala.
Verse 30 gives the author's name, and informs us that Sripala was adopted as a brother by Jayasimha-Siddharaja and bore the title Kavichakrapartin, 'an emperor among poets.' Sripalais frequently mentioned in the Prabandhas as Jayasimha's poet-laureate. The Prabháoakacharitra (xxii, 206-8) names the Vairochanaparájaya as his chief composition, and asserts that he wrote Prasastis for the Durlabharajameru and for the Rudramahalaya in Sristhala-Siddhapura. Merutunga in the Prabandhachinta. mani (pp. 155-6) speaks of his eulogy of the famous Sahasralinga tank, excavated by Jayasimha near Anhilvåd-Patan. A verse of bis is quoted by Sarngadhara in the Pad. dhati, cxxxiii, 7 (No. 3789, ed. Peterson). From our Prasasti we learn that he continued to hold his office under Kumarapala. His successor was, according to Rajasekha. ra's Prabandhakosha, his son Ratnapala.
Bombay Gazetteer, vol. VIII, p. 6248F. • Indian Antiquary, vol. VII, p. 81, and Corpus Inscrip. Ind, vol. III, p. 1714. • Bhandarkar, Report on Sanskrit MSS. of 1889.84, p. 20.
