The Dynastic History of Northern India (Early Mediaeval Period) v2.c31.770

v2.c31.770

This agrees with the statement of Merutuṅga, according to whom Sāraṅgadeva ruled from V.S. 1331 to 1353, or roughly from 1274-75 to 1296-97 A.D.¹ Abu'l-Faẕl and 'Alī Muhammad assigned him a reign of 21 years.² Unfortunately very few facts throwing light upon the political incidents of his reign are known. The Amran inscription however tells us that he revived the fortune of the Gurjara country and was a veritable *dhūmaketu* to the Mālava kingdom. The *Cintra Praśasti* seems to indicate that the traditional hostilities against the Yādavas of Devagiri and the rulers of Mālava were successfully continued under him. We are told by Dharaṇīdhara, the author of the *praśasti*, that the ruler of the Gurjara kingdom was "passionately addicted to the sport of rescuing the earth......Through his power he in battle reduced the powers of the Yādava and the Mālava lords, just as the lord of birds formerly (overcame) the huge-bodied elephant and the tortoise''³ Bühler rightly identified the Yādava foe of Sāraṅga with Rāmacandra, the last independent Hindu monarch of Devagiri, who ascended the throne in 1271 A.D. and died in 1309-10 A.D., a feudatory of 'Alā ud-Dīn Khaljī (1296-1316 A.D.).⁴ The Mālava king, whom he could not identify is perhaps the (Paramāra?) Jayavarmana II for whom we seem to have inscriptions ranging from *c.* 1256 to 1260 A.D.⁵