________________
16
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JANUARY, 1925
grant of Saka 78960 records the grant of a village in Gujarat to & sangha at Kampilya in Farukhabad district in U.P.! Besides, it was impossible for the Valabhi rulers to assign villages in Wadnagar district, for the simple reason that it was in the Malwa dominion. In the majority of cases, moreover, though hailing from Wadnagar, the donees were domiciled at Kaira or Valabhi, so the difficulty of the distance would not have confronted them. The claim of modern Ananda, then, based upon its propinquity to the villages granted, does not stand.
The history of the city from the sixth to the sixteenth century is already referred to in the above controversy of identification ; only a few facts remain to be stated. The city being chiefly & colony of Brahmanas, possessed no political significance. It does not seem to have ever been the seat of an independent chiefship; for it was even without ramparts till the days of Kumara pala.61 Being a Brahmana colony, it is natural to infer that it must once have possessed numerous temples. Abul Fazl's statement that it contained three thousand pagodas may be an exaggeration ; but it supports our inference. If, after the Muhammadan rule of 300 years, it had so many temples, in the days of its full glory it must have boon a veritable city of temples.
A legend is quoted by Forbes about the foundation of this city. Kaneksen, & prince of the Ikshwaku race, is said to have abandoned his native country Kansala in 144 A.D. and founded Anandapura, wresting the territory from & Parmar ohief. As we can trace the history of the city to the sixth century, the legend may be true as regards the date of foundation ; but whether there was such a king as Kaneksen and whether he founded the city are matters which require confirmation before they can be accepted.
4.& 5. Asäpalli (Inalading Karna vatt). Modern Ahmadabad occupies the sites of old As&palli and Karnavati. As&palli, which is the same as Yessa val of Muhammadan writers, is now a village just near Ahmadabad known as Asawal. It was the head-quarters of a Bhilla principality in the time of king Karma [1064-1094 A.D.), who lod successful expedition against it. After its conquest and in consequence of an omen from a local goddess Kochharva (who, to judge from the naine, does not seem to be Aryan), Karna built her a temple along with temples to Jayanti devi and Karneswara Mahadeva. In the same vicinity he found. ed & new city, named Karnavati after himself. The city is now probably merged in modern Ahmadabados
The new city soon became a centre of Jain worship. A temple of Arishtanemi was erected. The famous Jain priest Devasuri was residing and preaching here ; for Kumudachandra had to go to Karnavati when he wanted to see Devasûri. It was to Karnavati again that Dovachandracharya repaired for the education of Hemachandra, when he had managed to prevail upon the parents of Hemachandra to permit their son's becoming a Jain Bhiksh0.63
According to Mr. Manidra Dey, the Rajanagara of the Jains is the same as Karnavati or modern Ahmadabad.14 This is probable, for besides being, as shown above, a centre of Jainism, it was for a time at least the place of residence of king Karna.66
Ahmad Shah I was much enchanted by the climate and situation of Yessawal. He therefore shifted his capital to it and founded in its vicinity a new city named after himself. So has arisen modern Ahmadabados.
6 Ep. Ind., Vol. VI, p. 286. 1 माभूत्तस्य तथापि तीव्रतपसो बाधेति भत्तया नृपः। & fragtfr a afer
Tirgerufet-Ep. Ind., I, p. 300. 63 An. N. G. Ahmadabad.
.8 B. G., L. 1, p. 170. 04 G.D.A., 1.
* Pbc., p. 80.
