Tribes in Ancient India c55.9

c55.9

The sequel to the story of Yaśovarman is given in the Rājatarangiṇī of Kalhaṇa. Yaśovarman was defeated in his turn by Lalitāditya, king of Kāśmīr, who had launched out on a career of conquest. Lalitāditya is also credited by Kalhaṇa with having defeated another Gauḍa king and compelled the latter to give him his whole elephant force. We are not told who this Gauḍa king was or which region he ruled over. According to Kalhaṇa, Lalitāditya had the Gauḍa king killed in spite of a promise given not to harm him and sworn by his favourite god Parihāsa Keśava. When the Gauḍas heard of this treachery, they at once started for Kāśmīr, and entering the capital, they threw down the idol of the Rāmasvāmī temple, broke it into pieces and strewed them on the road. While they were thus engaged, the royal army from Śrīnagar arrived and attacked them. Undaunted, the Gauḍas continued in their work of destruction until they were annihilated by the army. Even in the time of Kalhaṇa (twelfth century A.D.) the Rāmasvāmī temple was empty, and the heroism of the Gauḍas was sung all over the valley. But it is difficult in the absence of other records to ascertain the elements of historic truth underlying this romantic story, and sober history would hardly agree to recognise it.³