History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c74.t8.17

v5.c74.t8.17

¹⁶³⁴ It may, however, be stated that there is some evidence that efforts were made to demolish the temple of Vithobā by some Moslem king of Bīdar and that the Badves (the guardians of the Pandharī temple) fearing destruction of the image removed it and concealed it somewhere else. In a Marāthī work called ‘महाराङ्गमहोदयाचा पूर्वरङ्ग’ by Mr. Narayan Krishna Gadre (1905) p 168 verses are cited from a life (completed in śake 1667 i e 1745 A D) of one Chāṅgā Mudheśa (who died in śake 1427 i e 1505 A.D.) written by his descendant Shamji Gosāvī Vañjarkhede (who was 11th in descent from Chāṅga Mudheśa) The Marāthī verses are: बेदरीचा राजा बामणी पातशहा । ब्राह्मणासी बहु छळियेलें ॥ हिंदुधर्म जितुके तितके वर्जियेलें ॥ राऊळ विध्वंसिले पंढरीचे ॥ केलीसे मशीद महाद्वार मोडून ! सातमास पूर्ण झाले यासी ॥ मूर्ती सिंहासनाहूनि आच्छादिली । गुप्त हो ठेविली बडव्यानी ॥ verses 52–55 of the 7th chapter of the life. This was written two hundred and forty years after the alleged vandalism. Besides the same work mentions in verse 94 (chap 7) that Chāṅgadeva thought that the mosque should be demolished and a new temple (a complete replica of the old one) should be built Similarly, in शिवचरित्रसाहित्य part 1 p 68 (published by the Bhārata-itihāsa-samśodhaka-maṇḍala of Poona) there is a letter dated in 1581 śake (i e 1659–60 A D.) in Marāthī which states that Shivaji killed Afzalakhan who had removed the image of Vitthal at Pandharpur and that at Tuljāpur. The letter is not properly authenticated and is not a reliable piece of evidence. I am obliged to Mr G H Khare of Poona for drawing my attention to these two pieces of evidence.