2. Short biography of Siyaka II alias Harsadeva

Dhanapala was most probably a boy in his teens during the late years of the Paramara King Siyaka II, alias Harsadeva, who, however, must have contributed not less in moulding much of the personality of the young poet. It is quite possible that the poet's grandfather Devarsi came to UjjayinI and 1.DAI p.83.

114 settled in the service of this king from whom he obtained profuse wealth, which his son which his son - and the poet's father was in search of? Dhanapala seems to have been deeply impressed by the kingly and martial qualities of Sri Harsadeva Siyaka, who is praised by him as "the one who has dwarfed his enemies in point of the pride of greatness. The Paramaras came into prominence with Siyaka 1I 4 who still claimed to have been a descendant of Amoghavarsa in the Udayapura Prasasti: paramara Siyaka lI most probably came to occupy the whole of Gujarat south of the Sarasvati and perhaps Saurastra as the viceroy of the Rastrakuta conquerer Krsna III. Between A.D.910 and 940 modern Gujarat south of the Sarasvati, Malwa and Saurastra had already passed under the sway of the Paramaras, who had accepted the vessalage of the Rastrakuta emperors at some date before 910 A.D. This is confirmed by the Harsola Grants dated Vikrama Samvata 1005 (i.e. 949 A.D.) of Siyaka II who declares himself to be " mahamandalika-cudamani" of 5 "maharajadhiraja-paramesvara-sri-Akalavarsadeva-prthvivallabha". Siyaka II also vanquished the king of the 7 Hunas, who ruled somewhere to the north-west of Malwa. 2.Prabhavaka-charita 17.18-19. 3. Tilakamanjari • Intro.vs. 41: tatra bhuddhasatih sriyamaparaya sriharsa ityakhyaya, vikhyata caturamburasirasanadamnah prasasta bhuvah | bhupah svarcita vairigarbha- garima srisiyakah sayakah, pancaporiva yasya paurusagunah kesam na lagna hadi ||41|| 4.Epigraphies Indica Vol.Ilpp.233-238. 5.The Glory that was Gurjaradesha p.108-110. 6.Gujarata-no Madhyakalina Rajaputa Itihasa P.142±143. 7. NC_XI. 90: akankanamakeyuramanupurama mekhalam | hugavarodha vaidhavya dasidajam 09479 4:118eil 3

115 He also came in conflict with Yasovarman, the Candella 8 of Jejabhukti (925-950 A.D.), but had to retreat. Parimala also records that Siyaka II invaded Rudrapati - referred to in the inscriptions of Rajendra Cola as Rattapadi the ancestral territory of the Western Calukyas and defeated its ruler. 9 It is difficult to say where the capital of Siyaka II was at the time. It was neither Ujjayini nor Khetaka. Dhara was not still the capital. Lata was more likely under his sway. His nominal sovereign was the emperor 10 of Manyakheta. Shri D.K.Shastri thinks that it was possibly between Vikrama Samvata 1005 and 1029 ( i.e. 949 and 973 A.D.) that Siyaka II defeated the feudatory of Kanoj from whom he wrested Malwa and established his autonomous kingdom with the capital at Ujjayini 11 Luckily for Siyaka II, the imperial power at Manyakheta was on the decline. Emperor Krsna III (939-956 A.D.) after his invasion of the North in circa 940 A.D., was too busy settling with the rulers of the South to turn his attention to the North. In the meanwhile Siyaka II went on consolidating marutsamjvaro 8.Epigraphies Indica Vol.I.p.126, vs.23:.. ANHNEN | 14TH banam gurjaranam ....| 9. Numismatic Chronicle XI. 89 : smitajyotsnadaridrena vaspastavimukhenduna | sasamsurvijayam yasya rudra patipatistriyah || 89|| 10.The Glory that was Gurjaradesha p.111. 11.Gujarata-no Madhyakalina Rajaputa Itihasa pp.146-147.

116 his power. Shri K.M.Munshi opines that about 960 A.D. he added Ujjayani and the region around it to his dominions. Between A.D. 965 and 968 he had a temporary set- -back at the hands of Narasimha, his feudatory. Two of the inscriptions of Krsna III - one of 965 A.D. and the other of 968 A.D. describe his general's subordinates 12 as "Ujjayani-bhujanga"s, i.e. the destryers of Ujjayini. But this conflict did not leave Siyaka still referred to as "Gurjara" any the weaker, since after the death of Krsna III in 968 A.D., he had almost consolidated his power and was now now bidding for imperial power by destroying his suzerain himself. In 972 A.D. Siyaka II was at the gates of Manyakheta which he captured and sacked, as has been recorded by Dhanapala himself in his Paia-lacchi-nama-mala of Dhanapala and also by the Udayapur Prasasti. By this time, it seems, he had shifted his capital to Dhara further away from the reach of Manyakheta. 13 Siyaka II was the real founder of the Paramara kingdom, and the first imperial ruler of his family. From the position of a petty local chief, he succeeded by his ingenuity and military skill in occupying a place 12.Epigraphica Carnatica Vol.XI.Nos.23,33.How the word "Bhujanga"can mean ja destroyer' is but a mystery.lt can, however, mean & lover' or!lord'in general sense. 13.Paia-lacchi-nama-mala 276; also.Epigraphies Indica Vol.I.pp.233-238, vs.12.

zuan 117 among the foremost rulers of his age. He left behind him a vast empire which extended on the north upto the Banswara State, on the east to Bhilsa 135 on the south to 14 16 the Godavari and on the west upto the Mahi. Padmagupta, alias Parimala, tells us that in the latter part of his 17 reign the king adopted the life of an ascetic. vadaja was the name of his queen 18 and Sindhuraja was his son. All this happened during the early years of Dhanapala's life and left an ineradicable impression on his young mind. Many of these events have served as the historical counterpart of the background on which the poet has eracted his palace of poetical descriptions of In King Meghavahana, who, like Siyaka II alias Harsadeva, ¤¤ alias Simhadattabhatta, was also childless, and as the Jain tradition records, his successor Munja was but an adopted child poetically represented by Dhanapala as Harivahana who was born due to the goddess Sri - a personificaion of regal power. Therepresentation becomes quite transparent when Dhanapala 14.Epigraphies Indica Vol.XIV.p.295. 15.Epigraphies Indica Vol.I.p.134,vs.45. 16.Epigraphies Indica Vol.XIX.p.236. | 49744 17. N.Stuti-caturvimshatika of Shobhana Muni 1.88 : pasikrtaksamalo yah ksamamatyayatam dadhan | rajyasramama lamca ke NSC 11.88: rajarsih krtacivara 18.ibid.vs.86: vadajetyabhavaddevi kalatram yasya bhukhi | 42-4221

118 1 declares that Meghavahana was well-known in his territory 19 as a "Bhujanga", utilizing the same epithet which incias dentally is also found in the above-mentioned inscriptions of Krsna III. The sack of Manyakheta seems to have been reflected in the realistic description of the sacked _20 city of Rativisala. One is easily tempted to think that the poet might have accompanied the conqueror on that expedition. However, in the character of Meghavahana, will be clear later on, Dhanapala has amalgamated some of the traits of the personality of Munja also whose successor Bhoja was practically a son offered by the goddess Sri as a legal heir to the kingdom of Malwa.