Indian Antiquary Vol 59

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 15

JANUARY, 19301 FALSE STATEMENTS ABOUT KING JAYACHANDRA AND RAO SIRA
9
“At this period & community of Brahmans held the city and extensive lands about Pali, from which they were termed Pallivals, and being greatly harassed by the incursions of the mountaineers, the Mors and the Minas, they called in the aid of Sihaji's band, which readily undertook and exeouted the task of rescuing the Brabmans from their depredations. Aware that they would be renewed, they offered Sihaji lands to settle amongst them, which he readily accepted.
"Afterwards he found an opportunity to obtain land by putting to death the beads of this community and adding the distriot to his conquesta."
From this narrative it is evident that before rendering aid to these Pallival Brahmans RAO Siha had acquired possession of Mehwa and Kherdhar. It does not seem reasonable that an adventurer, hankering after land, should have renounced possession of these two large districts, merely to oontent himself with a few acres of land granted to him by his protégés, the Pallivals. Further, he had not at that time enough men with him to look after his possessions of Kher and Mehwa as well as for keeping under subjection the Mers and Minas of the hilly tracts, who often overran Pali. Besides, from the narratives of the old chronicles of Marwar we learn that the PallivAls of Pali were a class of rich traders. It is nowhere recorded that they were masters of the town of PAli; nor do we find any mention that Rao Sih& had murdered them. In the temple of Somnath at PAli there is a stone inscription of V.S. 1209 of Solanki Kumarapala, which shows that at that time the latter held sway over Pali. It also appears from this inscription that one BAhadadeva, a feudatory of KumArapala, ruled over Pali at this time on behalf of Kumara pala. There had also been one Alhanadeva, & Chauhan feudatory and favourite of king Kumarapala. An inscription dated V.8. 1209 of Kiradu shows that this Alhanadevs had acquired possession of the districts of Kiradu, Radadhara and Siva by the favour of king Kumarapala.16
On the death of Kumarapala about V.8. 1230, his nephew Ajayapala succeeded to the throne. From this time the power of the Solankis began to decline. Presumably the Minas and Mers might have taken advantage of this weakness and plundered Pali, whioh was then one of the richest oities in the vicinity. In the inscription dated V.S. 1319 at Sundha of Chauhan Chiobigadeva it is stated that Udayasimha, father of Chaohigadeva, and great-grandson of the aforesaid Albanadeva, was master of the districts of Nadol, Jalor, Mandor, BAbadmer, Ratnapura, Sanchor, Surdohand, Radadhara, Kher, Ramsin, and Bhinmal. Udayasinha is also described in this inscription as invincible to the kings of Gujarat. We have found four inscriptions of this king ranging from V.8. 1262 to V.S. 1306 at Bhinmal. We conclude therofore that at sometime in this period, this Chauhan feudatory might have thrown off the yoko of the Solanki kings of Gujarat. At the same time, when we oonsider the geographical position of the above-mentioned distriots, we are led to believe that the city of Pali, too, must have passed into the possession of the Chauh&ns from the Solankis. So that at the time of Rao Siha's arrival in Marwar, such an important city as PAli must have been in possession of the Solankis or the Chauhans. What circumstances, then, could have obliged Rao Siha to butcher his helpless and trading supplicants of the Brahman caste so sacred to a Rajput for the possession of PAli ?
Besides this, when finding themselves too weak to ward off the marauding inoursions of the hill tribes, these Brahmans had themselves applied to RAO Sihå for help, and having gained experience of his prowess, and having appointed him to be their protector, how could they have ever dared to incur his wrath by an act of effrontery?
Thus automatically Siha became master of the city, and so his interest lay in fostering its trade by conferring favours upon its merchants, the Pallival Brahmans, and not in laying waste the country by killing these traders, as is supposed by the learned scholar, Colonel Tod.
16 Ep. Ind., VOL. XI. p. 70. 17 Ep. Ind., vol. IX, p. 78, V, 46.