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POLITICAL HISTORY OF N. INDIA FROM JAIN SOURCES
According to the Prabandha-cintamani Ajayadeva or Ajayapāla after mounting the throne began to destroy the temples built by his predecessor. It also records that the King entreated minister Kapardin most earnestly to fill the post of the prime-minister, and he gave his consent after consulting some favourable omens. When he took charge of the prime-ministership and returned to his house he was suddenly arrested by the king in the night and put to death by being thrown into a boiling cauldron. After this it also refers to two more incidents: firstly, this 'low villain of a king' murdered the Jain poet, Ramacandra, the author of a hundred works and the chief pupil of Ramacandra forcibly seating him on a heated plate of copper1; secondly, he urged Amrabhata, the son of Udayana and former minister of Kumārapāla, to submit to him humbling by prostrating before him, but he refused to obey him and said: "In this birth I do obeisance to him who is without passion as a god, to the sage Hemacandra as a teacher and to Kumārāpala as a master." Thereupon the king became angry and said, "Prepare for battle." Amrabhata first worshipped the image of the Jina and then "sweeping away from his own mansion the retainers of the king like a heap of chaff, with the wind of his own soldiers, he penetrated as far as the clock-house and passed into existence as a god being emulously chosen by the Apsaras who came to behold that wondrous sight." 2
Last two events show certainly the anti-Jain policy of Ajayadeva; but these are not recorded in the earlier works like the Sukyta-samkirtana and the contemporary Jain works like Moharaāja-parajaya. Yaśaḥpala, the author of the latter work, states therein that his father, Dhanadeva, was a Mantrin and he described himself as a swan at the lotus-feet of Chakravarti Ajayadeva. It appears from the play that the author himself was Paramarhata and a governor or resident of Tharapadra. This shows that Ajayadeva might not have been a bitter enemy of Jainism as reported by the later works. It might be possible that he did not shower great favour on Jainism and, in contrast to his predecessor, practically did nothing for Jainism. That is why he is painted as an anti-Jain monarch.
His conquests: Merutunga records no achievements of Ajayapala. 1 SJGM., I, pp. 96-97 अजयदेवे पूर्वजप्रसादान् विध्वंसयति सति श्रीकपर्दिमंत्री महामात्य पदं दातुमत्यर्थमभ्यर्थितः निशि नृपतिना विकृतः समानप्रतिष्ठैरभिभवितुमारब्धः कटाहिकायां प्रक्षेपकाले agafa: व्यापादयाञ्चक्रे । रामचन्द्रस्तु तेन भूषापसदेन व्यापादयाञ्चक्रे । SJGM., I, p. 97 निजसोपाहाराः परिगृहं निजभटवातेन तुषनिकर मित्र विकिरन् घटिकागृहे प्राप्तः अप्सरोभिरहं पूर्वकया प्रियमाणो देवभूयं
1
* GOS.. IX. Introduction.
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