The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v2.c30.s4.368

v2.c30.s4.368

The inscriptions noticed above show that Madana, the preceptor of Arjunavarman, continued to serve in that capacity under the new king. Similarly Bilhaṇa, who also served the previous king appears to have retained the post of minister of peace and war under the new administration. The Jain scholar Āśādhara survived Arjunavarman and finished his *Jina-yajña-kalpa* and *Triṣaṣṭi-smṛti* during the reign of Devapāla.¹ The latter work was completed in A.D. 1236.² The only interesting incident in Devapāla's reign comes from *Hammīra-mada-mardana* of Jayasiṁha Sūri, which tells us that in alliance with the Yādava king Siṁhaṇa (Siṅghaṇa, A.D. 1210-47) he made a joint attack on Vīradhavala, the Vāghela chieftain of Dholka. But the Jain author tells us that, thanks to the ability of the spies engaged by Vastupāla, the minister of the Vāghela chief, dissensions arose in the camps of the allied monarchs, and the attempted attack failed.³ We may well doubt whether this story of the failure of the Paramāra-Yādava attack is really correct. I have shown elsewhere that in the struggle with their southern neighbours the Dholka chiefs were sometimes defeated and compelled to submit.⁴