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SINGHAL SINGHA
Singhaleswar was the king of Singhal island. His queen's name was Singhala and that of his son Singhal Singha One day the prince had gone to the garden-house. It was spring and the trees were in full bloom As the prince was pacing through, admiring their beauty, he heard a pitiable cry, which appeared to be that of a woman The prince at once rushed towards her and saw that a young girl was held by an elephant in its trunk He asked the elephant to release the girl at once and come forward to meet him if he was really strong. On hearing this, the elephant released the girl and rushed upon the prince in full fury The prince at once took out his wrapper and raised it like a wall with both his hands The elephant struck on it with its tusks. The prince now caught hold of the tusks and jumped on them, and in no time he was seated on the crest of the elephant striking it severely with an iron hook, This soon pulled the elephant down. The prince then tied him to a pillar When the king heard the account, he became happy at, the prince's bravery. This soon became a talk of the whole city The girl saved by the prince happened to be the daughter of a merchant named Dhana Her own name was Dhanavati, She was charmed at the prince's bravery. The merchant, her father, took this chance to settle her in marriage with the prince.
Now, it so happened that the prince's physical grace and manliness was a pet topic for gossip among the ladies of the city. This was very much detested by the business community To get rid of the prince, therefore, the merchants made false allegations against bım, and, at their suggestion, the king prohibited his open movement in the city.
This was an encroachment on the prince's freedom of movement, which he bitterly detested, the more so since he never cared to look at women-folk and had no weakness for them. He preferred to leave the city and regain his freedom
