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INTRODUCTION.
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by the guru (Bhanucandra) started towards it in a boat. The rest of his army walked by the road along the bank. After some days the Emperor reached Jaina Lanka. The climate of the whole region is cool and agreeable and it abounds in lotuses of variegated colours. During the Emperor's stay, there was plenty of rainfall in those parts. A cold wave passed through the whole region and the Emperor and the whole of his army had a hard time fight with excessive snow and biting winds. The Emperor, shivering with cold though stuffed with rich woolen yarn, was shocked at the thought of the plight of the ascetics whom their religious tenets forbade to put on any thing more than only a limited measure of cloth, in all climates. He and his retinue retired to the inner chamber where they all tasted the juices of various kinds of fruits. Next morning, when he saw the guru almost blanched with cold, he made a friendly joke at him to the effect that while others obtained the taste of fruits, he obtained the taste of cold. After the recital of the names of the Sun was over, the Guru, always intent upon achieving his desired object-the possession of the Satrunjaya Hill by his group-perceiving that the Emperor was in a happy frame of mind, gently observed that while His Majesty had satisfied the desires of all who solicited him, he was not granted the same favour. The Emperor immediately requested him to speak his mind frankly, assuring him that he would do all in his power to satisfy him. The Guru, who had renounced all worldly happiness and gratification of any desire resulting merely in his own happiness, at once put it to him that the tax levied from pilgrims visiting the Satrunjaya Hill, be abolished. The Emperor replied that it had been reported to him that the tax formed a good avenue of income to the royal treasury. The Guru argued that the income, he was quite sure, could not be more than a drop in the ocean of the revenues of his colossal empire. The Emperor smiled an understanding smile, and instructed Abul Fazl to prepare a firmän abolishing the tax on that holy place and to hand it over to the guru. The firman was immediately penned by the Saikh. At the request of the guru, it was made in favour of Hira-Vijaya Süri. The Emperor put his seal upon it and handed it over to the guru who requested the Emperor to get it dispatched to Hira-Vijaya Sūri. Thus the guru achieved permanent glory". Hira Sūri after receiving the firman", started on a pilgrimage to the holy place with Jaina congregations from many countries". From that time onwards, all pilgrims to Mount Siddha-Satrunjaya-enjoy immunity from the pilgrim-tax (71).
Then the Emperor and his retinue started back by boats. After visiting Kasmira and Kedars, he reached the foot of Rohitäs. After a continuous march, during which he
"In Khoihama which adjoins Little Tibet is a large lake called the Wuler, twenty-eight Kos in circumference. The Bihat flows into it and its course is somewhat lost to the eye. Here Sultan Zainul Aabidin built a large palace called Zain Lanka" Aini Akbari Vol. II P. 364 (Jarrett)..
47 Vide "Ilira-Saubhagya-Kavya" Ch. 14, verses 277 to 284 pp. 738 to 741 re: the immunity from the pilgrim-tax.
48 Hira Suri got the firman at Radhanpur where he passed the monsoon in S. Y. 1648 (Gujarati, S. Y. 1649 Hindi)
49 In the winter of S. Y. 1649, he started on a pilgrimage with a sangha from Patan. He reached Satrunjaya in Caitra S. Y. 1650 (Hindi). March-April 1593 A. D.
