________________
[
73
of Toda (Distt. Tonk) visited the Jain temple70 of Abu in V. E. 1551 (1494 A. D.) as is reported in an inscription of Vimal Vasati of that year. This reveals that some of them had reverence for Jainism. This is also evident from an inscription on the Jain icon of Gorakhamandi (Siyalakhed Kathiawad) where the name of a Mehar is engraved as the donor. From Timana (Bhavanagar) a copper plate71 grant dated V. E. 1264 (1207 A. D.) of Mehar king Jagamal has been reported and another similar plate dated V. E. 1380 (1323 A. D.) is noticed from Hathasani. The evidence of these inscriptions also shows that these Mehars ruled as subordinate chiefs. They weilded powerful influence in western Rajasthan and northern Gujarat. They may be associated with the Mew or Mer of Rajasthan, who were jointly converted to Islam72 in A. H. 859 (1455 A. D.) in the Ajmer region. A medieval inscription from Gujarat also associates mebras with the tambolis. Migration of Families :
The migration of many families from one place to other is repeatedly reported in Jain inscriptions. The Kasindara Jain temple inscription73 of V. E. 1091 (1034 A. D.) records that the ancestors of Vaman had migrated to that place from Bhinmal The families of Vimal Shah, Vastupal Tejpal, Uda Mehta, etc. had similarly migrated from Bhinmal to Patan. The Nabhi-Nandan-Jinoddhar Prabandh:74 (V. E. 1392) of Kark Suri tells us that several families had moved from Osia to Kiradu due to severe drought. When Kiradu was destroyed due to repeated invasions from Sind, many of its wealthy families moved to other places. During the 15th century A. D. when Mewar was comparatively safe and peaceful, a good number of families moved there from Gujarat and Idar. Thus Ramdeva Navalakhi's son-in-law Visal, who belonged to the well known family of Shresthi Govind of Idar settled at Delwara on
70. Abu II No. 392. 71. The Historical Inscriptions of Gujarat Vol. III pp. 61-64. 72. History of Mewar by the Author p. 133/ Varada Vol. XXII No. 4 pp. 14-17. 73. Abu V NO. 621/Jin Vijay No. 427. 74. The Nabhi Nandan Jinoddhar Prabandh Chapter 1
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
