History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s75.29

v1.c6.s75.29

From the Vyavahāraratnākara it appears that Caṇḍeśvara was Chief Judge as well as Minister for peace and war.⁸⁸⁹ Caṇḍeśvara and his ancestors are highly praised for their liberality.⁸⁹⁰ In the Dānaratnākara (verse 2 at the end) he is said to have rescued the earth submerged in the flood of Mlecchas.⁸⁹¹ This probably refers to the defeat of some Mahomedan generals. Harisiṁhadeva was routed by Ghiasuddin Tughlak in 1324 and retired from Tirhut into Nepal.⁸⁹² Hence it follows that the seven Ratnākaras some of which (like vivāda and dāna) refer to his weighing himself against gold in 1314 A. D. and his high position at the court of Harisiṁhadeva were composed between 1314 and 1324 A. D. His Rājanītiratnākara was composed at the command of Bhaveśa. This last belonged to the line of the Kāmeśvara dynasty which began to rule Tirhut in the third quarter of the 13th century, in 1370 A. D. according to Mr. Jayasval (introduction to Rājanītiratnākara, *r*). Therefore the literary activities of Caṇḍeśvara extended over about 50 years from 1314 and the Rājanīti-ratnākara was probably his last work composed at a very advanced age. For the somewhat controversial and confused chronology of the Tirhut kings of the Kārṇāṭa and Kāmeśvara dynasties, vide Hp. cat. (Introduction p. 31); Grierson in Ind. Ant. vol. 14, p. 182-196 and Ind. Ant. vol. 28, p. 57; JASB 1915 pp. 407-433 (M. M. Chakravarti); JBORS vol. IX, p. 300 and X, p. 37 (Jayasval).