________________
116
POLITICAL HISTORY OF N. INDIA FROM JAIN SOURCES
1273 (1216 A.D.). The Sridhara prasasti says that Sridhara, by the process of the mantras, withheld Devapattana shaken by the elephants of Mālava. But the king who was defeated, was not actually Bhima II. He was, perhaps, Jayasimha (Jayantasimha), sometime usurper of the throne of Bhima II. according to the Pārijātamañjari. During his reign the Jain poet Āsādhara went to reside in Nalakacchapura (mod. Nālachā, near Dhārā).? We learn from Āsādhara that Dhārā was then a great centre of learning. These wars and strifes did not mar the traditions of Dhārä coming down from the time of the great kings Vākpatirāja Muñia and Bhoja. Āsādhara got his education there and taught several pupils, prominent among them were Visālakīrti, Vinayacandra and royal preceptor (Rājaguru) Madana. His son Cāhada was a favourite man of king Arjuna.*
We have three grants of his reign ranging from V.E. 1267 to 1272 (A.D. 1211-15). The Bhopal grant (ii), dated V.E. 1272, was composed by the Rājaguru Madana with permission of the Mahāsāndhivigrahika Rājā Sallakhana, (Sallaksana)." This Sallakhana is probably identical with the father of Āśādhara of that name. Rājaguru Madana is the same as the pupil of Āśādhara. This Madana composed two more grants and a drama entitled Pārijātamañjarī or Vijayasri as a praśasti to Arjunavarman. It has been found incised on a slab attached to the northern wall of the Kamal Maulā mosque at Dhārā. From this drama we know that king Arjunavarman himself was a great literary man. He wrote a commentary on the Amaruśataka. The Pārijātamañjari calls him as the incarnation of Bhoja which is not far from truth. Arjunavarman was also a great patron of scholars. He honoured them and appointed them to dignified posts. We know from two royal grants of the king that the poet Bilhana was also his Sāndhivigrahika (the minister of
1 EI., II, p. 437, V. 42. 2 Āsādhara, Anagāra-dharmāmyata's colophon, V. 8:
श्रीमदर्जुनभूपालराज्ये श्रावकसंकुले।
जिनधर्मोदयार्थ यो नलकच्छपुरेऽवसत् । #JATE ETAFHET, Āsādhara in his Dharmāmyta-ți ka. See Sāgāra. dharmāmyta, Introduction, pp. 3-4: Thanh TTSJETT Han-JAOS., VII, pp. 39-40, No. 23.
• Colophon of the Anagāra-dharmāmyta V. 2.
5 JAOS., VII, pp. 25-31 ; see also Prācīna-lekhamālā, Pt. I, pp. 6, 7: रचितमिदं महासान्धिविग्रहिकं राजसलक्खणसम्मतेन राजगुरुणा मदनेन ।
& EI., VIII, pp. 96-122,
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
