Rise and Glory History of Halari Visa Oshwals

Author(s): Rati Dodhia
Publisher: Rati Dodhia

Page 63

Chapter 8. Introduction
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Later the original ancient city was completely destroyed. Only ruins are to be found on the east side of the present city of Bhadreshwar.
Jagdu Shah
Shrimal Shreshthi (businessman) and world-renowned philanthropist Jagdu Shah lived in Bhadravati. The ancestors of Jagdu Shah lived in a historically famous place Kanthkor but his father Soma Shah moved to Bhadravati. Jagdu Shah was a very rich man. There are several folk stories about how he became rich.
First Version: One day Jagdu Shah was working in his farm when a group of hungry monks were passing by and asked for food. Jagdu Shah felt pity and gave them all the seeds he had bought to sow. Instead he threw pebbles on the field and returned home. He did not go back to the farm again to check. Some neighbors who had passed by his farm came and told him about what a rich crop was growing on his farm. Jagdu Shah thought that they were just making fun. But he could not wait; one night when no one was watching he went to the farm to see himself. He was amazed to see the crop. Instead of millet, the crop was made of pearls.
Second Version: Jagdu Shah bought a ship filled with bricks, which no one else was buying. When he went to see and rubbed the bricks, to his surprise the bricks were made of solid gold coated with red clay.
Third Version: Jagdhu Shah owned many ships. One of his fleet of five ships sailed to Hormus harbor in Iran filled with condiments and spices for trading under the captaincy of Jayantak, his trusted accountant. While the ships were anchored in the harbor Jayantak wandered around the city and saw a very attractive slab of stone in front of a house of an Arab merchant and decided to buy it for his master. There was another person from Khambhat who