Chapter 3 - The Date of Dhanapala

78 CHAPTER THREE THE DATE OF DHANAPALA—Like most of the Jain Sanskrit and Prakrit authors, Dhanapala was expected not to have kept mum as to the exact date on which he finished the composition of his Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala, though it is clearly mentioned that the work was composed during the life-time of the Paramara King Bhoja of Dhara. He has also referred to the fact that the Paramara King Vakpatiraja Munja honoured him with the title "Sarasvati" in the midst of his royal court. In his Paia-lacchi-nama-mala of Dhanapala, however, he has clearly mentioned that he composed it in the city of Dhara in the year on thousand twentynine (1029) of the vikrama Era. The year synchronized with the sack of the city of Mannakheda by the forces of a Malava king In his Satyapuriya-Mahavira-utsaha of Dhanapala he has referred to the sack of Sirimaladesa, Anahilavada, Caddavalli, Sorattha, 1• ♛M(N) • Intro•vs. 50 ab: tasyavadatacaritasya vinoda helo, rajnah sphutabhutarasa racita kathayam ||5- 2.ibia. rs.53 d: sri mujaina sarasvatiti sada khi ksonibhrta vyahrtah ||53|| 3.PIN(D) p.38.vss.27611.: saha srasammi (1029 ) 227 5 || 276 || dharanayarie tenesa virai ya desi ||27|| 3134 1120011..... || 27 s}} 4.1b 1d.276 cd: malava naridai chadie ludisa mannasvedammi ||276||

79 Delavada, and Somesara by one who also tried, unsuccessfully of course, to pull down and break the idol of Mahavira at Saccaura (i.e.Sacora)? According to Muni Shri 6 5 Jinavijayaji, this refers to the iconoclastic expeditions of Mahmud of Gazni who reached Sacora in the year Vikrama Samvata 1081 (i.e.1025 A.D.). We get this much exact data from Dhanapala himself. I. IDENTIFICATION OF THE MALAVA KING :- Now, the event of the sack of Mannakheda is identified by Shri 7 K.M.Munshi with such an exploit by the Paramara King Siyaka II, alias Harsa, who led an attack against the Rastrakuta King Khottiga of Manyakheta. This place has been identified by Pandit Bechardas Doshi with the present Mankhed in the Penth Taluka of Nasik District in Maharashtra. Puspadanta also has recorded this event in 9 his Nagakumaracarita. As to the identification of this 8 5. See intra Chap. II. ft.nt. No. 39. 6.Jaina Sahitya Samsodhaka Vol.3.No.3.pp.249-249;Pandit K.K.Shastri also agrees with Muni Shri Jinavijayaji. cf.Apana Kavio, Vol. I Pt.I.pp. 46-48. 7.The Glory that was Gurjaradesha pp.111-112. 8.Paia-lacchi-nama-mala Intro.p.14. 1. CF. NKC: dinanatha dhanam sadabahujana protphulladalli vanam manyakharapura puramdarapurililahare sundaram | dharanatha naremdra kosa sikhina da vidyapriya, kvedanom vasatim karisyati punah sripuspa dantah kavih || as quoted in Jaina Sahitya Aur Itihasa pp.327-328.

80 * 11 10 Paramara king we have a clue in the Udayapura Prasasti which informs us that it was Sri Harshadeva, i.e.Paramara Siyaka II alias Simhadatta, who was first attacked by the Rastrakuta King Krsnaraja III of Manyakheta, and the former retaliated by leading a counter-attack against Khottiga, the younger brother and the successor of Ne Krsnaraja III, whom his contemporary Halayudha has mentioned in his Kavirahasya. The first epigraphic record of 12 Paramara Siyaka II is the Harsola Grant dated 949 A.D. When the empire of the Gurjaradesa broke up in 940 A.D., Paramara Vairisimha II or his son Siyaka II was left as the viceroy of this newly conquered territories by the Rastrakuta Emperor Krsnaraja III. Shri D.K.Shastri p opines that Siyaka II must have seized the Malava territory from Madhava the vassal of King Mahendrapala of Kanoja and established his own independent kingdom with 14. 13 his capital at Ujjayini, between V,Sam.1005 to 1029 10.Epigraphies Indica Vollpp.233-238. vs.12: jagraha ' yo yuddhi nagadasama pratapah || 12 || lament 11.Kavirahasya of Halayudha 5: astyagastyamunijyotsna pavitra daksinapathe| krsnaraja iti khyato raja samrajya diksitah ||5|| 12.Epigraphies Indica Vol.XIX.pp.236f£. 13.The Glory that was Gurjaradesha p.110. 14.Gujarata-no Madhyakalina Rajaputa Itihasa pp.146-147.

81 (i.e. 949 to 973 A.D.). Krsnaraja III died in 968 A.D. and was succeeded by his younger brother Khottiga. By 970 A.D. Siyaka II consolidated his power and marched 15 on Manyakheta. In 972 A.D. he was at the gates of Manyakheta which he captured and sacked. It is this event which is referred to in the Paia-lacchi-nama-mala of Dhanapala and the Udayapura Prasasti, as also by Puspadanta in his NKC. By this time he had shifted his capital to Dhara further away from the reach 17 18 of Manyakheta. Khottiga died during this war. II. DATES OF THE PARAMARA KINGS :- It is clear from the above reference of the Paia-lacchi-nama-mala of Dhanapala that Dhanapala was a junior contemporary of the Paramara King Siyaka II whom 19 dit he mentions in the Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala by name. Pandit Bechardas Doshi rightly concludes that Dhanapala must have been at least 20 twenty years of age when he composed his Paia-lacchi-nama-mala of Dhanapala Dhanapala expressly mentions in his Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala that the great scholar- -king Munja publicly conferred on him the title "Sarasvati" when he was very young and a poet but in making. 15.The Glory that was Gurjaradesha p.1110112. 16.Bharat-ke Pracina Rajavamsha Vol.1II.p.61. 17.The Glory that was Gurjaradesha p.111-112. 18.ibid. 20.Paia-lacchi-nama-mala Intro.p.31. 21 19.♚hi(N) •Intro• _41: tatrabhuvasatih sriya maparaya sri harsa itya - khyaya bhupah khardita vairi garva garima srisiyaka etc. 11211 21.mu(N). Intro.vs.53 ca: aksunno'pi viviktasukti racane ya: sarva vidyabdhita, sri mujena sarasvatiti sadasi ksonibhr ta vyahatah || 53 ||

82 It is possible that this honour might have been consequent to his completion of the compilation of his, now no more extant, Sanskrit dictionary' called 'Namamala'. Even the Paia-lacchi-nama-mala of Dhanapala might have been instrumental for such an occasion. The earliest known date of the Paramara King Vasaraja II, alias Munja, the successor of Siyaka II, is Vikrama Samvata 1031 i.e. 975 A.D²² Tradition maintains that Munja was captured alive during his expedition in South India against the calukya King Tailappa II of Kalyani, 23 kpati a feudatory of the Rastrakutas. Munja was later on 24 executed by Tailappa II. This is conrirmed by the Gandha- 25 wani Plates dated A.D.997. This occured between the two 26 events, viz., after Amitagati's completion of the Subha- sita-ratna-sandoha during the life-time of Munja in the year Vikrama Samvata 1950 (i.e. 994 A.D.), and the death of Tailappa II, the killer of Munja, in the year Vikrama Samvata 1054 27 (i.e. 998 A.D.). Shri K.M.Munshi locates the event in 28 995 A.D. Dr. D.S.Triveda puts Munja between A.D.974 and 29 994. Sindhuraja was the immediate successor of vakpatiraja 22.1A.Vol.VI.pp.48-53. 23.Prabandha Chintamani p.33; also Nava-sahasanka Charita of Padmagupta pp.43-44. **24.Political History of Northern India from Jain Sourses p.94. 25.Indian Antiquary Vol.VI.pp.51-53;DKD.p.40;Bharat-ke Pracina Rajavamsha Pt.I.p.100;Gujarata-no Madhyakalina Rajaputa Itihasa p. .62. 26.Subhasita-ratna-sandoha of Amitagati Vs. 922: samarudhe putatridivavasati vikramanrpe, sahasre varsanom prabhavati hi pancasadadhike | samapte pancamyamavati dharani ' munjanrpati, site pakse paudhe budhahitamiha sastramanadham || 122 || . 27.History of Paramara Dynasty p.62. 28.The Glory that was Gurjaradesha p.146. 29.10.pp:37-42.

83 30 Munja as has been expressly mentioned by Padmagupta. At least rive dynastic inscriptions stand to prove this 31 But Sindhuraja did not rule for long and he was soon succeeded by his son Bhoja. Padmagupta must have composed his NSC before 1001 A.D. as the earliest recorded date of Bhoja is Saka 923 (1.e. 1001 A.D.) on the evidence of the Syamaladandaka of Purantaka which refers to the grant of a hundred "agraharas". The assumption of Dr.Buhler who puts the date of the composition of the NSC by Padmagupta alias Parimala in 1005 A.D. is based on his wrong assumption of the earliest date of 33 Bhoja as 1010 A.D. Merutunga has given the duration of Bhoja's rule as fifty-five years, seven months and three 34 35 days. On the strength of the Mandhata Grant dated 1055-56 A.D. Dr. G.C.Choudhary puts the earliest date 36 of Jayasimha, the successor of Bhoja, in A.D.1055. Following this line of evidence, Bhoja's accession may 30. NSC XI. 98: pura kalakumattena prasthitena mbikapateh | maurvikana'ka- vatyasya prthvidosni nivesita || 9|| 31.History of Paramara Dynasty p.65; Epigraphies Indica vol.p.233-238. 32.A History of Classical Sanskrit Literature p.492 ft.nt. 33.1A.Vol.XXXVI.p.154 fr. * * 34PC($JGRI) • P• 22: pancasatpanca varsani matra sapta dinatrayam 34PC(SJGM) p.22: bhoktavya bhojarajena sagoda daksinapatham || 35.Epigraphies Indica Vol.III.pp.46-50. 36.Political History of Northern India from Jain Sourses p.97.

84 be considered to have taken place in the year 999 A.D. This, according to Dr.D.C.Ganguli, settles the furthermost limit of Sindhuraja's reign. Dr. Ganguli differs from Lassen and Buhler on the authority of the Mandhata Grant coupled with Merutunga's statement about the 38- wen extent of Bhoja's rule. Bhoja was no longer ruling in Dhana, and hence had long expired, in 1062 A. D. when Vidyapati Bihlana reached there on his journey from 39 Kashmir to various places in North India. It was at the instance of this Paramara Bhojaraja, who wanted to be entertained by a story based on Jain scriptures, that 40 Dhanapala composed his prose-romance, viz, the Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala III. THE SACK OF SACORA : In his Satyapuriya-Mahavira-utsaha of Dhanapala Dhanapala refers to the sack of Somanatha Temple in Vikrama Samvata/1081 (i,e. 1025 A.B.) by Mahmud of Gazni who started for Multan on the 10th Sha'ban (6th October) and reached Nal Multan in the middle of Ramzan and marched towards -- 37.History of Paramara Dynasty p.62. 38.ibid.ft.nt. 39. VDC.XVIII.96: bhojah hamabhutsa khalu na khalaistasya samyam narendrastat pratyaksa kimiti bhavata jagate ha hatarime | yasya dvara dumara sikhara kroda- paravatana, nadavyajaditi sakaruna vyajahareti dhara ||96|| 40. Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala (H) •1ntro.vs. 50: nihsesa vanmayavido' pi jinagamoktah srotu kadhih samupajata kullu halasya | tasthavadatacaritasya vinoda hetoh, rajnah sphurad bhutarasa racita katheyam ||50|| *1. H

85 Anahilavada. Bhimadeva I fled on his arrival and took refuge at Kanthkot in Kutch 41 By this time Dhanapala must be about seventy-two years of age, when he might have been living at Sacora where he migrated and settled after his alienation with Bhoja at Dhara. Pandit Bechardas Doshi is right in holding that the poet lived for 42 about ten to fifteen years more after the event. The life-span of Dhanapala, thus, falls between 950 A.D.,i.e. before the accession of Vakpatiraja II alias Munja and 1050 A.D., i.e. before the death of Bhoja. The ap composition of the Tilakamanjari of Dhanapala must have been between 1010 A.D. and 1025 A.D. during the heydays of Bhoja's regime. 0 00 1