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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(NOVEMBER, 1925
Jagatswamin whioh is perhaps as old as the town itself. From the inscriptions at the place, it appears that a big festival was celebrated at the temple every Aświna month: Cf. afareta Tereer..
T afur...( Inscr. No. 12 ). Prosperity of Bhinmal declined with the rise of the Solankis during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Still the local dynasty continued to rule, perhaps as feudatories, to the end of the thirteenth century, for the Bhinmala inscriptions take the dynasty right up to the end of that century. At about A.D. 1297 the dynasty was overthrown by Muhammadans and the importance of the town began to dwindle rapidly. For a while early in the fourteenth century, the place retained some importance as it was one of the chief towns in the kingdom of the Gongira Chowhans of Jhalor (J&balipura); but even that principality soon succumbed to the Muhammadan pressure and Bhinmal lost its importance for ever.
Srimala has been from early times the home of Srimali Brahmaņas. Magha, himself a Srimali Brahmapa, was a native of this place and enjoyed the court's patronage. It was to Bhinmal or Srimale, that the messengers of King Bhoja repaired when they were sent out to bring Magha. For in Prabandhachintamani, we read my w refrathi पुण्यवत्तां च सततमाकी सपनोसकसबा राजादेः सततं प्रेग्यमानैः श्रीमालमगराखिमसमवे समानीव सबहुमानं... Here...9 a frarestato ali... preer The statement of Prabandhachinidmani is further confirmed by Prabhavakacharita of Pradyumnaasûri in the 14th canto of which we read
भस्ति गुर्जरचोऽम्बसीराजनबदुर्जरः । स श्रीमालमित्वस्ति पुरं मुखमिव सितेः। सत्र...श्रीवर्मलाताबमधुमर्मभिदासमःस्व सुप्रभदेवोऽस्ति मन्त्री मितसपा-किलः॥ .................................
A efter: श्रीमाषी नन्दनीबागस्विन्दनाशीलचन्दनः।। It is therefore clear that our Srimala is the city where the poet Magha flourished by the end of the tenth century.
49. Siddhapura Siddhapura, situated about 15 miles further up the Saraswati than Anahilapattana, has come to acquire its present name during the twelfth century. Before that century, the name of the place was Sristhala. For in an insoription of Malardja188 we read
चौलुम्बान्वबनः महाराजाधिराज-श्रीमूलराज....समस्तरामपुरुषानवबोधयति । ...अस्तु वः संविदितम् | वया श्रीमदन हिलपाटकावस्थितरस्मानिःसूर्वमहणपर्वणि श्रीस्थलके प्राचीसरस्वतीवारिणि स्नात्वाविद्यापति रुद्रमहालय
.... Here the mention of the famous Rudramahalaya temple makes it abundantly clear that Sristhals can be no other place than Siddhapura (which at present POBBesses the RudramahAlaya temple). The circumstance of the Saraswati taking a sudden turn to the east is also satisfied by Siddhapura ; it is in fact considered peculiarly holy precisely on this sooount.
The city was given its present name in the twelfth century in honour of Siddhardja Jayasimha who completed the temple of Rudramahalaya left incomplete by MalarAja. The looal Brahmaņas, who probably devised this name, must have taken peculiar pleasure in proposing it, for it was complimentary not only to Siddharaja but also to themselves; for Siddhapura also means the city of the perfected.'
Neither the Mahabharat 183 nor Agni Purdņa, 184 neither Kürma Purana186 nor Vardha Purdya186 make any mention of Sristhala as a 'tirtha.' Nevertheless at present the place is regarded as a very holy tfrtha ; Sraddhs offerings to maternal ancestors are enjoined to 101 Ind. Ant., VI, p. 192.
193 III, ch. 84, 85.
184 Chap. 109. 14 Uttarabhaga, chap. 35.
186 Chap. 149.
