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THE DYNASTIES OF RAJASTHANA
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His accession: According to the Kumarapala-carita Jayasimha died suddenly within seven days of the arrival of Kumārapāla at Aṇahilapāṭana.1 Certain scholars on the basis of this statement infer that there was some hand of Kumārapāla and his party in the death of Jayasimha. But, fortunately, we have an eye-witness account in the form of a colophon of the Prakṛt Jain work, Muni-suvratasvami-carita of Sricandrasüri, which shows how a voluntary death was embraced by Jayasimha by fasting.
Another contemporary of Kumārapāla, Somaprabhasūri, in his Kumārapala-pratibodha, records the following account of his accession to the throne:
"When Jayasimha went to heaven to make friends with the king of the gods, earth became sad as lotuses do when the sun sets. Then the ministers, who surpassed the teacher of gods-Bṛhaspati -in intelligence, seeing the kingdom without a protector began to converse like this (then follows the genealogy of Kumarapala from Bhima I): 'His (Tribhuvanapala's) son named Kumārapāla is bright, of a pleasant face and like Indra in splendour. He is liberal, brave and a protector of the helpless. He is endowed with all royal qualities, therefore let us make him a king in deference to others possessing no merits. Thus consulting with one another and seeking unanimity with palmists and astrologers etc., Kumārapāla was installed on the throne by the ministers. The whole world became satisfied."'
According to Merutunga after Jayasimha's death Kanhaḍadeva made his forces ready for battle and played the part of a king-maker. It appears that including him there were three candidates for the throne. Kumarapāla was at this time 50 years old. Once in power, he proved to be a vigorous and effective ruler.
Merutunga tells us that "Kumarapala on account of his mature age and the discernment that he acquired by wandering about in foreign countries, himself held the reins of government and thereby gave offence to the old royal servants." They planned to kill him, but he got the clue of this plot and dismissed those ministers to the city of Yama. He did not hesitate to
तदैव
1 KC, Canto III, Vs. 446448 सप्तदिन्यां कुमारैतद्राज्यं भावि तव भ... दैवयोगेन चिरं भुक्त्वा महीमिमा, जयसिंहमहीजानि देवभूयं समासदत् ।
2 DHNI., II, V. 976.
3
* GOS., LXXVI, Cat, of MSS. at Patan, pp. 314-322: अह सग्गचालीस दिणाई पालिऊणं समाहिणाणसणं । धम्मझाणपरायण चिन्तो जो परभवं पत्तो ॥
5
GOS., XIV, Kumarapala-pratibodha, p. 5.
SJGM., I, p. 78, par. 129.
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