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146
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA
(VOL. XXXIV ghāmchika is the same as Gujarati ghāṁchi, an oil-maker, an oil-dealer, one who expresses it or sells it'. The word shahr meaning & city or town is of Persian origin. In the present context, samasta-fahara, 'the entire city', no doubt refers to Sõmanātha-pattana. Hultzsch found here a reference to the followers of All. But Dr. Z. A. Desai doubts whether there was any distinct Shia community as such in the area and age in question.
The inscription ends with a benedictory stanza and an imprecatory passage in prose.
The epigraph reminds us of a well-known incident described by the Muslim chroniclers, e.g., Muhammad 'Awfi, observing that 'he never heard a story to be compared with this'. During the reign of Rai Jaising (i.e., the Chaulukya king Jayasimha Siddharāja, 1094-1144 A.D.), there was a mosque and a minaret at the city of Khambāyat on the sea-shore (i.e. at Cambay in the Kaira District of Bombay State). The Pärsi settlers of the locality instigated the local Hindus to attack the Musalmans of Khambāyat and the minaret was destroyed and the mosque burnt, eighty Musalmāns being killed in the course of the incident. A Muhammadan named Khatib 'Ali, who was the Khatib or reader of Khutba at the Khambāyat mosque, escaped and reached Nahrwala (ie, Anahillapătaka) with a view to put up his case before the judicial officers of the king. The king's courtiers were, however, inclined to screen the culprits of the incident at Khambāyat. But, once when the king was going out ahunting, Khatib 'Ali drew his attention and had the opportunity of placing in the king's hands a Kasida in which he had stated the whole Case in Hindi verse. As the king felt that Khatib 'Ali might not get justice from his judges since 'a difference of religion was involved in the case ', he himself visited Khambāyat in the guise of a tradesman and learnt all about the incident. He then punished two leading men from each of the non-Muslim classes such as Brāhmaṇas, Fire-worshippers (Pārsis) and others, and gave to the Muhammadans of Khambīyat a lakh of Balotras (silver coins) to enable them to rebuild the mosque and minaret. Khatib 'Ali was favoured with a present of four articles of dress. Indeed, instances of such religious toleration are rare in the history of the wr-ld.
TEXT
1 Siddham: Om namah sri-Visvanāthaya | Namasta(s=tē) Visvanāthāya Visvarūpa namõ=stu
to namas=tē sū($ū)nya-rūpāya 2 Lakshālakshanamõ=stu tē ||éri-Visvanātha-prativa(ba)ddha-tau(nau)janānām võ(bő)dhaka.
Rasula-Mahammada-samvat 662 ta3 tha Sri-npipa-Vikrama-sa[m*1320 tathā srimad-Valabhl sam 945 tathā sri-Simha
samo 151 varshē Ashādha-vadi 13 Ra4 [vā*Jv=ady-ēbe srimad-Anahillapāțak-adhishti(shthi)ta-samasta-raj-avali-samalaṁkrita
paramēśvara-paramabhattāraka5 Sri-'Umāpati-vara-labdha-praudha-pratāpa-Nihsamkamalla-Arirāyahridayasalya-sri
Chaulukyachakravarti-me
1 Wilson's Glossary, s. v. . Ibid., 8. v. • Elliot and Dowson, History of India as told by its own Historians, Vol. II, pp. 162 ff.
• From impressions. Tho unnocessary dandas to cover up some space at the end of the lines have been igaored in our transcript.
. Exprowned by symbol. • Botter ruad Lakshy-alakshya. + Matro : Annahfubh. • San is a contraction of Samhnat which is itself an abbrevintion of samutsara. • Sandhi has not been observed here.
