The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v2.c30.s4.327

v2.c30.s4.327

The three inscriptions noticed above give us dates from V. S. 1267 to 1272, corresponding to *c.* 1211-15 A.D. From these we know that Arjunavarman had the *biruda* Trividha-vīra,² and that 'his fame spread in the quarters in the guise of the laughter of the *dikpālas*' when in battle 'which was his childhood's frolic....Jayasimha took to flight.'³ We are also told that, being 'a treasure-house of the stores of poetry and song, he now has relieved the goddess (*Sarasvatī*) of the burden of her books and lyre.'⁴ These references to the king's victories and literary accomplishments are remarkably confirmed by Jain tradition and the fortunate discovery of a hitherto unknown drama named *Pārijāta-mañjarī* or *Vijayaśrī*⁵ which was composed as a *praśasti* to Arjunavarman by the royal preceptor (*rāja-guru*) Madana,⁶ who came from Gauḍa, presumably during the lifetime of his disciple. This work was found incised on a slab of black stone "attached to the northern wall of the principal *miḥrāb* in the mosque" at Dhar, in C. I. The slab contains 82 lines of writing. The work is a *nāṭikā* in four acts, and is stated to have been acted for the first time at the spring-festival in a temple of the goddess of learning.¹ Unfortunately however the slab contains only the first two acts of the drama, the other two acts, which were incised on a second slab, are still missing. The drama deals with the love-affair of the king with Pārijātamañjarī or Vijayaśrī, the daughter of the Gurjara king Jayasiṁha, who fell into Arjuna's hands after her father's defeat. In the opening verse the Mālava prince is called the incarnation of Bhoja.² In line 7 Arjunavarman is said to have defeated the *Gūrjara-pati*³ Jayasiṁha 'on the borders of the land at the foot of the mountain called Parva-parvata.'⁴ The preserved portion of the drama reveal that the king had another queen named Sarvakalā,⁵ who was the daughter of the king of Kuntala. As in the *Ratnāvalī*, the whole interest of the drama consists in the king's intrigue with his new love in which he eludes the watchful and jealous queen. Hultzsch rightly remarked that, though the author must have derived the conception of his plot from older compositions, yet, "as the hero of the new drama was a living and reigning king, it is unlikely that the chief persons who appear on the stage together with him were pure inventions of the poet. It would have been poor panegyric that made Arjunavarman move among fictitious characters."⁶ The evidence of Arjunavarman's grants which also ascribe to him victories over Jayasiṁha seem to confirm this conclusion. The same author, following Dr. Hall,⁷ has suggested the identification of this Jayasiṁha with the Caulukya Bhīma II (*c.* 1178-1241 A.D.), who had the *biruda* 'new Siddharāja,' which was a surname of Jayasiṁha (*c.* 1094-1144 A.D). Though Merutuṅga refers to the devastation of Gujarat during the reign of Bhīma II by Sohaḍa's son Arjunadeva,¹ yet I am inclined to believe that the prince referred to was not Bhīma Abhinava-Siddharāja, but the Caulukya Jayantasimha, also called Jayasiṁha, who during the period *c.* 1218-26 A.D. ousted Bhīma II and for a short time captured the sovereign power in Gujarat.² Hultzsch however may be right in his identification of the Kuntala king with the Hoysaḷa Vīra-Ballāla II, who ruled from *c.* 1173-1212 A.D.³