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THE DYNASTIES OF SAURASTRA
cintamani. The same authority assigns him a reign of two years, beginning from V.E. 1233.1 The Vicaraśreni styles him Laghu-Müladeva and gives him a period of two years, one month and two days from V.E. 1232 to 1234.2 The Muslim chronicles call him Lakhmul or Lakhu-Müladeo and allot him 8. or 20 years." This period, however, assigned to him is obviously wrong, for we know that his successor was on the throne before V.E. 1235.
The Prabandha-cintamani states that after the accession, his mother, the queen Naiki, the daughter of king Paramardin (1146-1174 A.D.), taking her son in her lap, fought at Gådararghaṭṭa and conquered the king of Mlecchas by the aid of a mass or rain clouds that came out of season attracted by her virtue. The two other Jain works the Sukyta-samkirtana and Vasanta-vilasa® state that Muladeva even in childhood defeated the Muhammadans. These early references show that he might have been of the age of 15 or 16 which is the age of minority to a king, that is why he has been called as a child (minor). The fact that the Muslims were defeated is also confirmed by the Muslim writer, Minhaj-us-Siyar, who writes that Mohammad led his army through Uccha and Multan towards Naharwalah (Anahillapura). At that time the ruler of that place was a young king named Bhimadeva who possessed a powerful army and numerous elephants. In the battle Mohammadans were defeated in A.H. 574 (A.D. 1178). The Tavarikha-i-Firista also records that Muhammad Ghori from Multan went to the sandy desert of Gujarata. Prince Bhimadeva came to encounter him with a strong garrison and destroying the Muslims pushed them back."
In the above descriptions of the Muslims it seems that the name of Bhimadava has mistakenly crept in in place of Mularaja. The reason for this might have been that after this war, the sudden death of Mularāja placed his younger brother Bhimadeva (II) on the throne and thus by mistake the credit has been given to him. The fact that the battle was fought by Müladeva is also confirmed by the Patan grant of Bhimadeva
4
SJGM. IP. 97 सं० JSS., II, Pt. IV, p. 9
289
2
राज्यं वर्ष २ मास १ दिन २ ।
AAK., II, p. 260,
SJGM., I, p. 97:
अस्य मात्रा नइकिदेल्या परमर्द्दिभूपतिसुतयोत्संगे शिशुं सुतं निधाय गाडरनामनि घाटे संग्रामं कुर्बया म्लेच्छराजा etc.
s Canto II, V. 46 मुलराजः । तुश्वशीर्षाणि शिशुर्जय श्रीलताफलानीय
Jain Education International
१२३३ पूर्व वर्ष २ बालमूलराजेन राज्यं कृतम् ।
ततस्तदैव उपविष्ट लघुमूलराजस्य सं० १२३४ चैत्रमुदि १४ निरुद्धं
गृहात् ।
• Canto III, V. 34: श्रीमूलराजः शिशुनापि येन म्लेच्छाधिपोऽकल्प्यत पांशुकल्पः ।
Elliot, II, p. 294-1
8 Brig's Firista, I, p. 170.
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