Hindu Temples: What Happened to Them v2.c19.s2.16

v2.c19.s2.16

Sidharao, says NaiNasi, saw the Earth in a dream, appearing in the form of a damsel and demanding that she be decorated with a choice ornament. The king consulted the learned men who could divine dreams and they told him that the ornament for the Earth could mean only a magnificent temple. So the king invited architects from every land and they presented to him models of what they could conceive to be the best. But no model satisfied Sidharao and he became despondent. At that time there were two notorious thieves in his kingdom, Khapra and Kala. As they started gambling on the Divali day, Khapra wagered that he would give KoDidhaja, the renowned steed of Sidharao, if he lost the game. He lost and promised to the winner that he would procure the steed by the time of the next Divali day. He wormed himself into the confidence of Sidharao, first as a sweeper in the royal stable and then as a syce of KoDidhaja. The king who visited the stable everyday was very much pleased with Khapras services and spent some time talking to him. One day the king confided to Khapra his (the kings) disappointment in the matter of a suitable temple. Soon after, the thief ran away with the horse and stopped for rest only when he reached the valley of Mount Abu. All of a sudden he saw the earth split and a temple came out. Gods and Goddesses staged a play in the temple as Khapra watched sitting in a window of the divine edifice. He was reminded of Sidharaos despondence and thought that this was the temple which would meet the king's expectations. He found out from the, Gods that the same miracle would be enacted again on the night of the day after next and rushed back to PaTaNa where he gave a graphic account to the king. The king came to the same spot and saw the temple which fully satisfied him. The Gods told him how to find the master architect who would build a similar temple for him. It took sixteen years to be completed, even though thousands of artisans were employed.⁸