JUNAGADH STATE

GOVERNMENT OF JUNAGADH

OFFICE OF THE KING HIS HIGHNESS NAWAB MAHHOBATKHANJI OF STATE JUNAGADH SORATH

Land Revenue Branch

East India Company

Province MUMBAI


TARIKH-I-SORATH


Date: 28
th
of January 1839


FROM THE BEQUEST OF

FRANCIS BROWN HAYES

Class of 1839

OF LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS


TARIKH-I-SORATH


A HISTORY


OF THE


PROVINCES or SORATH AND HALAR
IN KATHIAWAD.



By RANCHODJI AMAEJI,


Diwan of junagadh.



Translated from the Persian language to English language

Resident Political Agent Sir Lee Willium
Kothi Compound Rajkot Province

BOMBAY:
Educ. Soc. Press, & Thackeb & Co., Ld.

London: Trtjenbr & Co.

1882.

PREFACE.

The T1rikh-i-Sorath, or History of Sorath and Halar, forming the
western portion of Katchiawad, was compiled by Ranchodji
x\marji, Divan or prime minister of Junagadh, about 1825, and
gives a pretty circumstantial account of the factions and broils
that disturbed these provinces during the lifetime of the author
and his father. As a genuine native history, written by a man
who took a leading part in most of the events he describes, and
who was quite independ- ent of English influence, it ought to
possess some
interest for all classes of readers.

The Persian MS. of the work was brought to my notice by the late
Mr. Gokalji Jhala, then Divan. of Junagadh, on my visit to that
place in May 1869. Mr. Manilal Govindram, now of the Bhavanagar
High School, also obtained for me a
loan of a translation of it into Gujarati, and made a careful
version from it into English. "When this was about complete I
got a second Persian MS.,
and submitted both MSB. and the translation of the Gujarati
version to Mr. E. Rehatsek, who very kindly produced another
translation, more in accordance with the Persian original than
Mr. Manilal' s founded on the Gujarati only. This lay past for
some time, but a few years ago I began



IV PREFACE,

to print it, and Colonel J. W. Watson, of the Rajasthanik Court,
Rajkot, whose knowledge of the country and its history as well
as of the lan-
guage of the original, eminently qualified him for doing so
very kindly agreed to revise the MS. and look over the proofs as
the book passed through the press. The alterations he has made
to bring it into accordance with the better copies of the
original work in his possession, have been
numerous and important.



It was intended to add a considerable amount of additional
collateral information to the work as it passed through the
press, but freauent almost
constant absence from the vicinity of any library, and the
pressure of work which has frequently interrupted even the
printing for long periods of
time, have limited the additional matter to a brief introduction
and a few notes scattered throughout the book, and amounting in
all to about 57 pages.

I have only to add that it is to the offers of patronage of the
work on the part of the Chiefs of Junagadh and Bhavanagar, that
the publication
of it is due.

J. BURGESS.

JUNAGADH District,
2lst December 1881.


CONTENTS.


PAGE

Introduction, by the Editor 1 TiRIKH-l-SoRAfH 23

Description of the Sirkar of Junagadh ... 24

Note 1. On Junagadh, by the Editor... 33

Translations of the Asoka edicts 36

Note 2. Neminatha 47

Mahals which pay all the Land and Cus-

toni3 Revenue Rights to Junagadh 48

The Kasbah of Kutiana 49

Bantwa 51

The Kasbah of Mangrol

Note 3. On Ghumli or Bhumli 68

Kesod 62

Malia

JJhorvad

Pattan Diva 63

Note A. On Pattan Somanatha 66

5. On Ahiiyabai 78

Account of Kodinar ^

Una and Delvada 77

Account of Ranpur 79

Visavadar >

Muzaffarabad

The island of Diva, vehich formerly be-
longed to Junagadh

Account of Kathiawad 81



it



VI CONTENTS.

FAOB

Account of Amr^li 82

Account of the Mahals which pay tribute

to Junagadh ^ 83^

Description of Gondal 93

Bajkot 94

Morbi

Description of Bhavanagar 95

Description of Jhalawar 98

The Rajas ofJunagadh 101

Rao Dayat and Kuvar Naughan 102

Naughan conquers Sindh 105

RajaKhengar 109

Mularaja and Naughan Ill

Fight of Raja Mandalika with Mahmud

Ghaznavi

Hamirad^va, Vijayapala, Naughan, &c. ... 113

Jayasingh, &c 114

Sultan Mahmud captures Raja Mandalika. 116

The story of Mehta Narsi 118

* Raja Bhupat Singh bin Mandalika 124

' Raja Khengar, Raja Naughan, Raja Sri

Singh, Raja Khengar 125

Note Q, On the Chudasama dynasty ... 127
Governors on behalf of the Padishahs of

Ahmadabad 131

Navab Bahadur Khan Babi 137

NavAb Mah^bat Khan 143

Captivity of the Navab Mahabat Khan . . . 144
Shekh Miyan takes Veraval 146



CONTENTS. VII

PAOB

The Divanship of Amarji ,.., 147

Demolition of Dilkhania 149

Acquisition of Kutiana ,,

Conquest of TalAj^ 150

Conquest of the four forts of Mangrol ... 151
Liberation of the Mutasaddisof Kachh Bhuj 152
Punishment of the Vaghars and Malias .. 153
Punishment of the Babrias and of the Una

Qasbatis

Kumbhaji attacks the Divanji 154

Imprisonment of the Div/lnji and murder

of Jamadar Salmin the Arab 155

The Navab marches against Mangrol and

recalls the Divanji 155

Conquest of Sutrapada 159

Conquest of Positra. ,,

Navab Hamid Khan (a.d. 1774-1810) ... 160
Victory over the Subahdars of the Peshva

and Gaekvad 161

March to Palanswa in Vagad, &c 163

Victory over Jam Jasaji, Rana Sulfcanji,

and Kumbhaji ; 168

Murder of the Divan Amarji 1784, &c ... 172
Veraval taken from Divan Raghunathji ... 177
The Navab instigates the Arabs against

the Divan 178

Gul Khan slain ; marriage of the Navab, &c. 179

Taking of Sutrapada 180

Conquest of Kesoj ^. 181







Vlll CONTENTS.

PAOB

Divan Raghunath takes Chorvad and Ve-

raval, &c 182

The Divanship of Kalyan Seth ]93

March of the Navab against Bh avanagar. . . 1 94
Jamadar Amin cannonades Manjavadi ... 195
Divan Raghunath recalled from Nagar ... 196

Reduction of Kutiana, &c 197

Navdb Bahadur Khan (1810-1839 a.d.)... 205
Jemadar Omar and his expulsion by British

aid 209

The taking of Kutiana 210

Marriage of feambhu Parsad 212

Dismissal of Jamadar Omar 213

Dismissal of Divan Raghunath, and slaugh-
ter of Atits 215

Divanship of Sundarji (1809-10 a.d.) ... 218

Death of Divan Raghunath 219

Wedding of Kesarbai 220

Interviews of Ranchodji and Governor

Elphinstone 221

Capture and release of Captain Grant 222

Expulsion of Mn Anderson from Dvarka,
and punishment of the Waghers by the

English 223

Chastisement of the Khuman Kathis by

the English .^. 224

Defeat of Kesarbai, and murder of A hmad

Khan Faqir '. 227

Events of Samvat 1880 (a.d. 1823-24) ... 228






CONTENTS. IX

PAOB

Note 7. Cap t. Grant's Narrative of his

captivity 235

Concerning the History of Nagar ... 240

Concerning the Jam , ....

Founding of the city ofNavanagar 243

Jam Raval hin Lakha 246

Jam Vibh&ji (a.d. 1561-1569)

Jam Satrasal (a.d. 1569-1616)

Jam Jasaji (a.d. 1616-1624) 251

Jam Lakha (a.d. 1624-1645) 254

Jam Ranmaiji (a.d. 1645-1661)

J&m Raisingh (a.d. 1661-1663) 256

Jam Timachi Tagadh (a.d. 1663-1690)...

Jam Lakhaji (a.d. 1690-1709) 257

Jam Raisingh (a.d. 1709-1710)

J&m Timachi (a.d. 1710-1743)

Jam Lakhaji (a.d. 1743-1768) 259

Jam Jasaji (a.d. 1768-1814) 260

Jam Jasaji makes a friend of Rao Saheb

Bhanji 271

The laying waste of Gondal in Sam. 1850. 273
Meeting of Navab Hamid Khan with

Meraman Khawas . 275

The Waghers of Okha 276

Flight of Jam Jasaji 277

Arrival of Fateh Muhammad Notiyar 279

Rao Saheb Rfiidhanji comes to Nagar

and returns disappointed 280

Attack on Bhanwad 282






CONTENTS.

PiOl

Jam Jasaji collects aspverd (horse tax)

from Kafchiawad, &c 285

Capture of Kandorna fort 286

The English and Gaekwad Governments

send armies to Nagar (a.d. 1812) 287

A Kachh army crosses over to Halar 288

Jam Sataji (a.d. 1814-1820) 292

JamRanmalji 297

Account of Okha... 299



INTRODUCTION.



The peninsula of Kathiawad or Sau- r a s h t r a, lying between
the gulfs of K a c h h and Cambay or Khambhat, and surrounded on
the south and west by the Arabian Sea, is the
holy land of Western India. It was^known to the Greeks and
Romans under the name of Saurastrene ; the Muhammadans called it
by the Prakritized name of S o r a fc h, and to this day a large
district in the south-west, a hundred miles in length, still
retains that name. An- other district, quite as large, to the
east of the centre, however, has long been known as K a-thiawad,
from having been overrun by the K athis, who entered
_th&.^pf^T)inaTlla. from

achh, perhaps first in predatory bands in toe thirteenth or
lourteenth century; in the. HTfeenth Ihe whole tribe was driven
out of Kaclih, and in that and the following century (conquered
a considerable territory. The M a- r ii t h a s, who came into
contact with them in their forays, and were sometimes
successfully repelled by them, extended the name of K a- t h i a
w a d to the whole province, and from Kemwe have come to apply
it in a similar


2 INTRODUCTION.

Wide sense ; but by Brahmans and the natives
it is still spoken of as Saurashtra.

The extreme length of the peninsula, from G g h a in the east,
to Jagator Dwaraka in the west, is nearly 220 miles ; its
greatest breadth is about 165 miles, and its area 22,000
square miles, with an estimated population of about two and a
half millions.

It is divided into 1 88 separate states, large and small, of
which thirteen pay no tribute ; ninety-six are tributary to the
British Govern- ment, seventy to that of the Gaikwad as the
representative of the Marathas, and nine pay tribute to both ;
while of the latter three classes one hundred and thirty-two pay
a tax called Zortalahi to the Nawab of Junagadh. The states are
arranged in seven classes, with vary- ing civil and criminal
powers, five of the larger belonging to the first class.

Kathiawad is usually divided into ten provinces or prdnts, of
very unequal size :

(1.) JhIlIwId, in the north, containing
about fifty states, of which Dhrangadhra, Limbdi,
Wadhwan, Wankan^r, Saela, Chuda, and Than-
Laktar, are among the largest ; originally it
included Viramgaum, Mandal, and part of the
Dhandhuka district now uuder Ahmadabad.

(2.) MachhukIntha, comprising Morbi and
Malia, lies to the west of Jhalawad.

(3.) HIlab, in the north-west, derives its name
from the Hala branch of Jadejas from Kachh, and



INTRODUCTION. O

embraces twenty-six states, of which Jaiiinagar
or Nawanagar is the largest ; Rajkot, Gondal-
Dhoraji, Dharol, Drapha, &c., are smaller.

(4.) Okhamandal, in the extreme west, be-
longs to Baroda.*

(5.) BaradI or JetwId, along the south-west
coast, is known also as Pnrbandar.

(6.) SoRATH, in the south, is occupied by the
Junagadh State, and the two small holdings of
B&ntwa and Amrapur ; but the sea-coasfc from
Mangrol to the island of Diu or Div is also
known as N a g h e r.

(7.) BIbriawad, so called from the Babria
tribe of Kolis, is a hilly tract in the south-east?
divided into many very small states, or village
holdings, and includes many villages belonging
to the Gaikwad of Baroda.

(8.) KathiawId, near the middle, is a large
district comprising Jetpur-Chital, Amreli, Jas-
dhan, Chotila, Anandapur, and fifty other
smaller estates.

(9.) Und-Sarveya, lying along the Satrunji
river, and divided into small holdings.

(10.) GoHiLWAD, in the east, along the shore
of the gulf of Cambay, is so named from the
Gohil Rajputs, who are the ruling race in it.
It comprises the Gogha district, belonging to
the Ahmadabad Collectorate, Bhaunagar, a
first-class state, Palitana, Waht, Lathi, and

* The island (bet) of ^ankhodilr belongs to Okhamandal.
It was long famous for its pirates.



4 INTBODUCTION,

many others ; and it includes the old division of
the province called W a 1 a k.

Generally speaking, with the exception of the Thanga and Mandhav
hills in the west of Jhalawad, the Alech and Dalasa ranges in
Halar, the hill of Gop, and others, the northern portion of the
country is flat ; but in the south the Glr range runs nearly
parallel with the coast, and at a distance of about twenty miles
from it, along the north of Babriawad and Sorath, turning
northwards towards Gimar. Opposite this latter mountain, again,
is the solitary Osam hill, and then still further west is the
Barada group between Halar and Barada, running about twenty
miles north and south, from Ghumli to Ranawav, near which iron
ore was dug in early times. After the limits of Babriawad are
passed a low range of hills succeeds the Gir; these hills join
those of Und Sarveya. There is also a fine cluster of granite
peaks at Chamardi, and the Sihor and Khokhra ranges in the
south- eastern portion of Gohilwad.

The principal river is the Bhadar, which rises in the Mandhav
hills and flows south-west, falling into the sea at Navi-Bandar,
in Barada, after a course of about a hundred and fifteen
miles in a direct line, everywhere marked by the lands near its
banks being in a high state of cultivation. It is a saying in
the districts through which it passes that it receives ninety-
nine tributary streams. From the same hills



INTRODUCTIOK. 5

rises another Bhadar, whieli flows eastwards past Ranpur aud
Dhandliuka into the gulf of Cambay or Khambhat, and in its short
course attains a considerable size.

The A j i, perhaps the prettiest stream in the province, rises
near Sard bar and mns north- wards past Bajkot, receiving the
Mari from
the left, and falls into the gulf^of^jKachh near
BalambaTm Halar. Ttls noted for the excel-
lence of its water, and the gold dust found
in small quantities in its bed.

The Machhu, from near Sardhar, flows
north-west, through the district to which it gives
name, past Wankan^r and Morbi, into the gulf
of Kachh, near Malia.

The Wadhwan and Limbdi Bhogawas both
rise in the Thanga range, and flowing past Wadh-
wan and Limbdi respectively lose themselves
in the Ran to the north of the gulf of Cambay

The Satrunji, from the Gir range, receives
a large number of tributaries, and passes Pali-
tana and Talaja on its way to the entrance of
the gulf of Khambhat.

Saurashtra was doubtless at a very early
period brought under the influence of Brah-
manical civilization, and, from its position at the
extreme north of the coast line of Western
IndiaTit was the mdsF accessible to influences
from the West. As early as the reign of the
great Asoka of Magadha (b.c. 265-229) we
find him inscribing his famous edicts upon the



O INTRODUCTION.

huge granite boulders at the entrance of the
pass that leads from Junagadh to Gim^. If
the reading in Strabo of Saraostos is really, as
there is good reason to suppose, a corruption of
some form of Saurashtra, then it was included
in the conquests of the Indo-Skythian kings,
Demetrios the son of Euthydemos (b.c. cir.
190), and Menander (b.c. 144), who, he says,
pushed their conquests eastwards and ''got
possession not only of Patalenfi, but of the
kingdoms of Saraostos and Sigerdis (or
Sigertis) being the remainder of the coast."

Its shores were well known to the Alexandrian
merchants of the first and second centuries, but
there is considerable diificulty in identifying the
places they mention. Dr. Vincent, f Lassen, J
and Col. Yule have each attempted the task.

Lassen places the city of Surastra at
Junagadh, and this is as probable a conjec-
ture as perhaps any other that could be formed.
Yule places it at N a v i-b a n d a r, which is
very doubtful. If not Junagadh or Vanthali,
then V i r a w a 1 and S i ho r are the only two
other sites that seem Ukely.

Bardaxima is located by Yuleat Purban-
d a r, perhaps from the resemblance of the name
to Barada; but orinagar, in the same

*

t Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.

X Map of Ancient India in his Indische Alterthwn-
sliunde.

In Smith's Ancient Atlas, pp. 22-24, and map 31.



INTRODUCTION. 7

district, is a much older place, and near it
is a small Village named B a r d i y a, which
may possibly be a reminiscence of the Greek
name.

Yule places the B a r a k e of Arrian at J a -
gat or Dwaraka ; Lassen also identifies it with
D waraka, which he places on the coast between
Purbandar and Miyani, near Srmagar. M n 1 a-
Dwaraka, or the original site, was further
east than this, but is variously placed near
Madhupur, thirty-six miles north'west from
Somanath-Pattan, or three miles south-
west from K o di i n a r, and nineteen miles east
ofSomanath. This last spot is called Mula
Dwaraka to this day.

Astakapra, orAstakampra, Yule has
quite recently identified with Hastakavapra,
mentioned in a Valabhi copper-plate grant, and
believed to be the old name of Hathab, to the
south of Gogha; at Gopnath, Yule would
have P a p i k e promontory.

The H o r a 1 89 are doubtless the people of
S o r ath, wlio have an inveterate pr^e^ity
to sound the letter S as an H; and the P a n d ea
are the P a n d a v a, dwelling in the north of the
peninsula, in the district traditionally known
as PanchalorDev a-P a n c h a 1, in which
the chief town was Than, possibly the same
as Theophila, which Yule places doubtfully
a little further east, about T a 1 s a n a, which,
however, is situated in the sub-division of Jha-



8 INTRODUCTION.

la wad known as the Nal Kantha, and not in
Panchala.

P i r a m island is probably rightly identified
by Yule with the Baiones Insula of the
ancients ; Monoglossonhe identifies with

Man grol.

Among the sacred places in the province,
PrabhasaPafctan orSomanathin the
south, and D w a r a k a in the extreme west,
are famous shrines of the Saiva and Vaishnava



forms of Brahmanism, the former, one of the
twelve great 6aiva Mahalihgas of India^ and the
account of whose destruction by Mahmud of
Ghazni is so familiar to every reader of history,
is also the spot where tradition says the great
Yadava hero and demigod Krishna was slain ;
whilst Dwarakais one of his most celebrated
shrines, where he is fabled to have saved the
sacred books. T h a n^ in the north, is an old site
of sun-worship, and in the neighbourhood are
several snake-shrines ; and in the Gir is T u 1 as i
Syam, a noted Hindu shrine, with a hot
spring. There is also the shrine called Ghela
Somanath in Jasdan territory, which probably
was the city of Somapur said by Ferishtah to
have been destroyed by Sultan Ahmad on his
return to Gujarat after warring at Junagadh.

Among their "high places" the Jains reckon
oatrunjayaas their great trrtha or holy place,
on the isolated mountain south of P a 1 i t a n a ;
Taladhvaja, commonly known as T a 1 a j a



to
is J



INTRODUCTION. 9

T e k r 1, the isolated hill at Talaja ; U j j a y a nt a
or R a i V a t a , the famous Mount G i r n a r in
Sorath ; and Dhanka in Halar. Perhaps the
L or or Lauhar hill in Babriawad is also intend-
ed by the Lauhitya of their sacred books. The
Lonch and Kamlo hills too in TJnd Sarveya are
known to the Jains as Hastagiri and Kadamgiri
respectively, and are usually visited by pilgrims
to Palitana.

Of the early history of the country we have
but scanty notices. It was probably governed
by satraps under A s o k a and the great Maurya
kings. From coins that have been found pretty
abundantly in different parts, it appears that
for a period of about two centuries a dynasty
known as the Kshatrapas,*Sahs, or
S i n h a s ruled, perhaps at old Sihor, Sin"
h u r, or S i n h ap u r a. Of this dynasty we
learn from coins the names of some twenty -four
princes, many of them with dates ranging from
72 to 250 ; the late Dr. Bhau Daji, reckoning
these dates from the Saka era of a.d. 78, placed
them between about a.d. 140 and 380.

Besides coins of the Kshatrapas, however, we
have at least two inscriptions, unfortunately
both somewhat defaced.

The first of these is on the famous rock
between Junagadh and G i r n a r , recording
the repair of the dam there by Raja Maha-
kshatrapa Rudra Daman in the year 72 of
their era. His father's name is obliterated, but



/



10 INTRODUCTION.

that of his grandfather is given as Mahaksha-
trapa Chashtana.

The second is a short one on a pillar on the
bank of the lake at J a s d h a n, in the north of
the Kathiawad division. It has been translated
by the late Dr. Bhan Daji, and yields the
names of five of the Sah kings, viz. :

1 . Kaja Mahakshatrapa Bhadramnkha
Svami Chashtana;

2. E/Aja Kshatrapa SvamiJayadaman
his son ;

8. Baja Mahakshatrapa . . . Rudra
D a m a, his son ;

4. Eaja Mahakshatrapa Bhadramnkha
Svami Rndra Sinha, his son ;

5. Raja Mahakshatrapa Svami Rndra
Sena, his son, rnling in 127.

Coins snpply the remainder of onr knowledge
of these princes, but fortunately the first of
them is mentioned in the inscriptions on some
of the caves in the Bombay Presidency : as at
Karlen, Nasik, and Junnar.

From these materials Mr, Newton framed the
subjoined Kshatrapa list of the kings, which is
given, with the dates approved by Dr. Bhau
Daji, Professor RAmkrishna G. BhAndarkar,
and others :

1. NahapAna, a.d. 70.

2. The unknown king whose coin is given
as figure 10 of the plate (p. 4, Jour, Bo. Br. B.
/!. Soc. vol. IX.).



INTRODUCTION. 1 1

3. (Syamo tika.

4. Chashtana, son of Syamotika, a.d. 90.

5. Jaya Dama, son of Chashfcaua.

6. Jiva Dama, son of (Ddma ?)Sri, a.d. 113.

7. Rudra Dama, son of Jaya Dama.

8. Rudra Sinha, son of Rudra Dama, a.d.
180-182.

9. Rudra Sah or Sena, son of Rudra Sinha,
A.D. 205.

10. Sri Sah, son of Rudra Sah.

11. Sangha Dama, son of Rudra Sah.

12. Dama Sah, son of Rudra Sinha.

13. Yasa Dama, son of Dama Sah.

14. Damajata Sri, son of Rudra Sah, a.d.
212.

15. Vira Dama, son of Dama Sah.

16. Tsvara Datta.

17. Vijaya Sah, son of Dama Sah (140-154),
A.D. 218-232.

18. Damajata Sri, son of Dama Sah.

19. Rudra Sah, son of Rudra Dama, a.d.
266, 276, 270.

20. Visva Sinha, son of Rudra Sah, a.d.
278.

21. Atri Dama, son of Rudra Sah, a.d.
288, 292.

22. Visva Sah, son of Atri Dama, a.d.
295, 303.

23. Rudra Sinha, son of Svami Jiva Damti,
a.d. 328.

24. Yasa Dama, son of Rudra Sah.



12 INTRODUCTION.

25. Svami Rudra Sab, son of Svami Satya
Skh.\\

From an inscription in the Bauddha caves at
Nasik, it appears that the Kshatrapas were
overthrown by Gautamiputra, the Andhrabhri-
tya king" of the Dekhan, about a.d. 330. Anartta
or Saurashtra must have belonged to them for a
short time. But the Guptas of Kanauj were
then rising into power.

" The bards relate that Rama Raja, son of
Vala Yarsingji, reigned in Junagadh and Van-
thali. . . . Rama Raja was of the Vala
race. It is said in Saura.shtra that, previous to
the rise of the kingdom of Junagadh- Vanthali,
Valabhinagar was the capital of Gujarat. The
rise of Valabhi is thus toldbj the bards: ' The
Gupta kings reigned between the Ganges and
Jam una rivers. One of these kings sent his son
Kumarapala Gupta to conquer Saurashtra, and he
placed his viceroy Chakrapalita or Chakrapani,
son of Parnadatta or Prandat, one of his Amirs,
to reign as provincial governor in the city of
Vanianasthali (the modern Vanthali). Kumara-
pala now returned to his father's kingdom.
His father reigned twenty-three years after
the conquest of Saurashtra and then died, and
Kumarapfila ascended the throne. Kumara-
pala Gupta reigned twenty years and then died,
and was succeeded by Skanda Gupta, but this
king was of weak intellect. His sendpati Bha-

* Jour. R. As. Soc. vol. XII., 1848, p. 32.



INTRODUCTION- 13

tarka, wlio was of the Geliloti race, taking a
strong army, came into Sarashtra, and made his
rule firm there. Two years after this Skanda
Gnpta died. The sendpati now assumed the title
of king of Saurashtra, and, having placed a
governor at Vamanasthali, founded the city of
Valabhinagar. At this time the Gupta race
were dethroned by foreign invaders.''^

The Junagadh inscription represents Parna-
datta as Skanda Gupta's viceroy ; Chakrapalita
as governor of a certain town, appointed to that
place by his own father ; and Bhafcarka is men-
' tioned in the Valabhi copper plates as Senapati,
while they represent Drona Sinha, his second
son, as having first assumed the title of king :
Ind. Ant vol. Ill (1874).

The Guptas introduced an era of their own,
usually regarded as commencing in A. d. 319, but
possibly about A.D. 185-195. They doubtless arose
to considerable power before they added . K a-
thiawadto their dominions : indeed, according
to tradition, the conquest of the country was only
effected by Kumarapala Gupta early in
the reign of his father. This was probably be-
tween 80 and 85 of the Gupta era.

Valabhi, identified with the buried city at
Wala, in the east of the peninsula, eighteen
miles north-west of Bhaunagar, now became the
capital of the new dynasty ; and when the Gupta

f Major J. W. Watson, "Legends of Jnnfigadh," Ind.
Ant (No7. 1873) vol. II. p. 813.



14 IKTBODUCTlbN.

race were dethroned the Yalabhi kings extend-
ed their sway " over K a c h h, Lat-d e s a,* and
M&lwa."

Bhatarka must have established himself
at Yalabhi about 160 Qupta Saihvat ; and of
the dynasty ho founded we have numerous copper
plates, discovered at Wala and elsewhere in the
peninsula, which, in recording grants to Br4h-
mans and Bauddha ascetics,. give also the genea-
logy of the family and important dates in their
reigns. From such of these as have been trans-
latedt we gather that

I. Bhatarka Senapati was followed by
four of his sons in succession.
II. Dharasena Senapati, eldest son. of
Bhatarka.

UI. D r o n a s i n h a, Maharaja, a second son
of Bhatarka, ** whose royal splendour was sancti-
fied by the great gift, his solemn coronation
performed in person by the Supreme Lord, the
Lord Paramount of the whole earth/* J

IV. Dhruvasena I., a third brother,
whose sister's daughter D u d d a was a Baud-



* The coUectorates of Sarat, Bharoch, Kh^da, and parU
of Barod& territory.

t Tind. Ant. vol. I. pp. 14, 18, 45, 60 ; vol. III. pp. 8S6
308 ; vol. IV. pp, 104 and 174 ; Jour. As. Soc, Bang, vol-
IV. pp. 401, 476ff. ; vol. VII. pp. 849, 966ff. ; Jour. Bo.
Br. R. As. Soc.f vol. III. pt. ii. pp. 818flf. ; vol. VII. p.
116 ;
vol. VIII. pp. 280, S46 ; vol. X. pp. 66ff.

X Copper plates, Ind. Ant. vol. I. p. 61; vol. ly. p
196; Jour. As. 8oc. Beng. vol. IV. p. 48L



INTRODUCTION. 15

dha devotee, and founded a monastery. The
plate mentioning this is dated Samvat 216
(evidently of the Gupta era), other two bear
dates 207 and 210.

V. Dharapatta, the youngest son of
Bhatarka, who was succeeded by

VI. Guhasena, his son, of whom there are
copper plates dated respectively 250, 256 (or
2"66), and 258. The second grants four villages
to " the community of the reverend Sakya monks
belonging to the eighteen schools [of the Hina-
yana], who have come from various directions
to the great convent of D u d d a, built by the
venerable Dudda.**

VII. Sri Dharasena II., the son of Guha-
sena, of whom we have also grants, dated 272
and 277.

VIII. Siladitya (Dharmaditya) I., son of
Dharasena, also made a grant to a Bauddha
community dated G. 286.

IX. Kharagraha, his brother.

X. Sri Dharasena III., son of Khara-
graha.

XI. Dhruvasena II., younger son of
Kharagraha.

XII. Sri Dharasena (Baladitya) IV .,
second son of Dhruvasena, of whom there are
two grants, both dated G. 326, one to priests
of the Mahayana school, belonging to a monas
tery erected byDivirapatiSkandabhat-
ta; and the other to Brfihmans of Sinlia-



16 lilTRODUCTION.

pur a, the modem Sihor. A third grant is
dated S. 329.

XIII. Dhruvasena III., the son of Dera-
bhatta and grandson of Siliiditya I.

XIV. Kharagraha II., the brother of
Dhruvasena III.

XV. Siladitya II., son of ^iladitja, the
brother of Dhruvasena III. and Kharagraha II.

XVI. Siladitya III., his son, of whom
there are two grants dated 356, and one 358.

XVII. S i 1 A d i t y a IV., son of Siladitya in.,
of whom a plate has been found dated S. 403.

XVm. Siladitya V.

XIX. Siladitya VI.

It was either during the reign of D h r u v a-
s e n a II., or of this last Siladitya, who was
surnamed Dhruvabhatta, that the Chinese
Bauddha pilgrim Hiwen-Thsang visited
Western India, and apparently V a 1 a b h i itself
(cir. A.D. 635-638). His account runs thus:
" The kingdom ofFa-lapi is about 6,000 li ( 1 200
miles) in circuit ; the capital has a circumference
of 30 li (6 miles). As to the products of the soil,
nature of the climate, the manners and character
of the people, they are like those ofMa-la-p^o (Ma-
Iwa). The population is very numerous, and all
the families live in wealth. There are a hundred
whose wealth amounts to a million. The rarest



Stanislas Jalien's Mimoires sur les Qontries Occi-
denfales, torn. II. pp. 162 ff. ; Histoire de la Vi9 de
Biouen-Thsang, pp. 869-71, 868, 447.



INTRODUCTION. 1 7

merchandize from distant conntries is found
here in abundance. There are a hundred con-
vents, where nearly 6,000 devotees live, who for
the most part study the doctrines of the Ching-
liang-pu (school or nikdy a of the Sammatiyas)
which adheres to the 'lesser translation'
(^Hmaydna).\\ We count several hundred tem-
ples of the gods ; and the heretics of various
sects are exceedingly numerous.

"When the Tathagata (Buddha) lived in
the world he travelled often in this region.
Wherefore in all the places where the Buddha
rested King A s o k a raised pillars in honour
of him, or constructed stupas. We observe
at intervals the monuments that mark the
places where the three past Buddhas had sat,
performed deeds, or preached the law.

" The kings of the present age are of Tsa^ti-
li (Kshatriya) race; all are nephews of king
Shulo-' o-tie-to (S i 1 a d i t y a) of M a 1 v a. At
present (about a.d. 636) the son of king Sila-
d i t y a of Kie-jo-ha-she (Kanyakubja),hasa son-
in-law called OTu'lu-p^O'pO'tUt^ Dhruvapatu.*
He is of a quick and passionate nature, and his
intellect is weak and narrow : still he believes
sincerely in * the three precious things. 'f For
seven days every year he holds a great assembly

(In Climese, Siao-ching ; Sans. BinayAna,
Bn Chinoifl Ch'ang-jui, " constamment intelligent.*'
Or Dhruvabhatta, Jour. B. As, Soc, yoL VL
p. 329.
t Sans. Triratna,.



1 8 INTRODUCTION,

at which he distributes to the multitude of
recluses choice dishes, the three garments^
medicine, the seven precious things, and rare
objects of great value. After giving all these
in alms, he buys them back at double price.
He esteems virtue and honours the sages, he
reverences religion and values soience. The
most eminent holy men of distant countries are
always objects of respect With him.

** At a little distance from the city there is a
great convent, built long ago by the care of the
Arhat ^Oche-lo (Achara). It was there that the
Bodhisattvas Te-Iioe (Gunamati), and Kienrhoe)
(Sthiramati) fixed their abode and composed
several books which are all published with
praise/*

" On leaving this country he went about 700 U
(140 miles) to the north-west, and arrived at the
kingdom of ^O-nan-fo-jpu-lo. The kingdom of
(*0-nan'fo-pu-lo) Anandapura has a circuit
of about 2,000 li (400 miles) ; the circumference
of the capital is a score of U (5 miles) . The
population is very numerous, and all the families
live in wealth. There is no (native) prince.
The country is dependent on Ma-la-p'o (Malwa),
which it resembles in the products of its soil,
nature of the climate, written character, and
laws. There are a dozen convents, counting
somewhat under a thousand devotees, who study
the doctrine of the Ghing-liang -pu (nikdya or
school of the Sammatiyas) belonging to the-



INTRODUCTIOK. 19

lesser translation' (Rinaydna), There are
many dozen temples of the gods ; heretics of
different sects live intermixed. "J

Such is the account of the Chinese pilgrim.
The convent of ^Oche-lo, which he mentions as
being in the vicinity of Valabhi, Dr. Biihler
has found mentioned in a grant ofDharasena
II., as founded bjAtharya, not " Achara,""
as Julien has transliterated the Chinese name.

The Anandapura here mentioned is pro-
bably the same as that referred ta in the Kalpa--
Sutra of the Jainas, as one of their early centres
of learning, and where that work was com-
posed by Sri BhadraBahuSvami, in the
year 980 of their era, during the reign of
Dhruvasena II., who had just then been
deeply aflflicted by the loss of his beloved son S e-
nagaja. M. Vivien de Saint-Martin, follow-
ing Stevenson, places it outside the peninsula
at Badnagar, or Vadanagar, in northern
Gujarat, about twenty miles east -south-east
from Siddhpur. From the connection in which
it occurs, however, we might expect it rather to
to be within the peninsula ; and, though the
distance does not agree with Hiwen-Thsang's^
there is still a place called Anandapura, fifty
miles (250 li) north-west from Valabhi, which
was very probably in early times the capital of
a province including parts of the modem

J See continnation of Hiwen Thsang's narratiTe in Note
ly pp. 33, 34.



20 INTRODUCTION.

Jhalawad, Kathiawad, and Halar. This gains
snpporfc from the mention ofDhruvasenaof
Yalabhi, who must have been closely connected
with Anandapurato lead the writer of the
Kalpa-Sutra to refer to his family afflictions; and
the accuracy of the latter is corroborated by
Dr. Burns's copper plate, stating that S r i D h a-
rasena IV. was Dhruvasena*s second
son.

How the Valabhi dynasty ended we do not
exactly know. We see that in the eighth
century it still held Sorath, and even northern
Gujarat. Tradition is almost unanimous in
asserting that a Siladitya was overthrown and slain by a foreign
invader. Merutunga, the Jaina chronicler, gives a legendary
account of its destruction. A Marwadi, he says, from
Pali had settled at Valabhi and attained to great wealth.
Siladitya forcibly took the jew- elled comb of this man's
daughter to give to his own daughter, which so offended the Mar-
wadi that, to be revenged, he went to * the Mlechha country' and
offered the king an im- mense reward to destroy Valabhi. The
Jaina priests had warning and took to flight, carry- ing their
favourite idols with them, and by this Mlechha lord Valabhi was
utterly destroy-* ed in Sam vat 375. Bat this date cannot be
correct, whatever be the epoch from which it is reckoned.
Moreover, Siladitya VI. may not have been the last of the
dynasty, so that if



INTRODUCTION. 21

Valabhi was destroyed by a foreign it was probably by a Muhammad
an invader, from or through Sindh not earlier than 750 a.d.,
and possibly later. In an inscription from Baroda of Raja Karka
II., dated Saka 734, or a.d. 812, it is said that under Karka I.
Saurashtra had " lost its appellation of Saurajya from the ruin
that had fallen upon it.'' This destruction of the country may
refer to forays by the same invaders in the eighth century,
about the time when Vanallaja founded the Chavada king-
dom ofAnhillavada, in northern Gujarat.

Tradition says that on the fall of Vala- bhi the Yiila governor
of Vamanasthali became independent. Raja Rama had no son, but
his sister was married to the R^ja of Nagar Thatha, in Sindh,
who was of the S a m m a tribe. This sister's son was named
Ra Gario, and Rama Raja bequeathed the kingdom of Junagadh-
Vanthalito thip nephew, who was the first of the Chuda- sama Ras
of Junagadh. This Ra Ga- io, the grandson of R a i C h u d a, is
said to have extended his dominions into Upper India,
conquering Kanauj, Gwalior, and Dohad, in Malwa.

There were petty kingdoms, however, estab-
lished in various parts of the peninsula, as at
Dhank, Deva Patfcan, <fcc., of the history of
which we know but little. TheChavadas
and Solankis of A nhillay 4da Pattan



22 INTRODUOTIOK.

made frequent inroads against these chiefs, but
do not seem to have ever permanently sub-
jugated the western portions of the country,
where the J e t h y a s and Chudasamas
held sway, the latter till the fifteenth century,
when they were reduced by Mal.im^d Begada
in 1469-70.



The narrative of Banchodji son of Amarji,
the Diwan of Junagadh about the commence-
ment of the pres ent c^ntory; begins at a much
latter <late, but cursorily notices the dynasty
of the Chudasamas. It is in reality a chronicle
of his own times, and will be found not devoid
of interest.



TARIKH-I-SORATH..



Sahkara Jagat Pati,

The Lord oflords descriptions cannot land ;: In ail attempts our
weakness we confess. Every plant whereon the zephyr of his lov>

once breathes must flonrish, and whatever his- wrath touches
withers for time and eternity. Whoever enjoys his favour attains
happiness,- but he abideth in misery from whom the rays
of his light are turned away. This Sovereign ta all monarchs
grants power, The face of the earth is his board As a banquet
of dainties to firiends and to foes. To diadems the meanest of
men he can raise, And Sultans to the dust can aba^e ;
All-powerful is he and worketh his will.



This poorest of Nagars, R a n c h o d j i, the-
son of Amarji Diwan, humbly informs
those who examine histories and peruse chro-
nicles that, as many accounts written concern-
ing the Shahs of India^and o^ Gujarat are well-
known, it seemed useless to repeat what has
already been narrated. Accordingly, from a>
&eling of attachment to his native country,, he^



24 SORATH.

will confine his account to the states of Junagadh
and Hallar, and the affairs of other Rajas as
it has come to his knowledge from the oral,
statements of intelligent men, and from written
information.

Description of the Sirkar of JunAqadh.



The fort ofJunagadhis called in Sanskrit
Karana Kubj a,* but as an account of it i^
given in the Prahhdsa Khanda of the Skanda
Pur dm I shall describe its present state only.
The citadel, called U p a r k o t, is strongly built
of stone, and is situated in a valley at the foot
of Mount G i r n a r ; it has eighty- four turrets,
two gates, and two wdvsf one of the latter
called Adi, and the other called Chadi, ^built
by Raja Nonghan's slave- girls. J There
is also a kuvo (or draw-well) excavated by Noii-
ghan and named after him. The stone dug out
to form the fosse around the fort served for the
construction of the towers and battlements;
and, in case of a siege, there is a subterranean
passage leading into the fort on the east side,
which might be used to convey provisions to
the garrison.

There is a tradition that the U p a r k o t, or

The Persian MS. has here Karankonj, the Gujar&ti
Karana Kuvira: Jirangadh is given by Major Watson,
Ind. Ant. vol. III. p. 43. See Note 1, page 33.

t Wells with descents to the water by flights qf steps.

X The Gxyar&ti reads, * by a Pftsayan (slaye-girl or kept
migtress) of Bfija Nonghan.'



j-.^



JUNAGADH. 25

fort, was built by the Yadava Raja Ugarasena,
when he fled from Mathura in dread of Kala
Yavana Shah of Kihorasan, and came to the
Sorath country. It is said that in Sam vat 1507
(a.d. 1450) Raja Mandalik repaired the fort of
Uparkot. || Afterwards, in the reign of Shah
Akbar, A'isa Khan came from Sindh to be the
Subahdar, and built the wall of the city in Sam-
vat 1690 (a.d. 1633) with a hundred and four-
teen turrets and nine gates, four of which

The Gujarfiti translator, Ma^isliankara Jatashankara
Mujamundar, adds a note here, that ' he had learnt from
RAn! MagA, the Vahivanch&s (or keeper of the genealogies)
of the Ghnd&samA Mags, that at JunAgadh, on the RevatA-
chal, there ruled a king Revata, who gave his daughter
Revati to Baladeva, the brother of Sr! Krishna, and be-
stowed this fort in kanyMdn, or marriage dowry, on the
YAdava Baladeva.' This was doubtless derived from the
Harivayhia. It is there said that A n a r 1 1 a was the son
of oaryAti, and Anartta's son was Reva, who ruled the
country of A n a r 1 1 a a part of Sur Ashtra, * bounded on
one side by the sea and on the other by ArApa, with Giri'^
vara (Girnar ?) for its fortress.* Raivata Kakudmin was
the eldest of the hundred children of Reva, and succeeded
him on the throne of Kusasthali. This prince went one
day, accompanied by his daughter Revati, to the abode of
Brahma, where for a little while (of the gods, but really
many human ages) he assisted at a concert of Gandharv&s.
On returning he found his capital occupied by the Y&davas
and named D^Aravati. Raivata thereon gave his daughter
to Balar&ma and retired as a devotee to Mount Meru.
{Harivarhia, ch. 10, 93, 111, 112, and 153.) As R a i v a t a
is the proper name of GimAr, this reads as if intended
to be understood as an allegory. Ed.

II This is shown by an inscription over the gate, now
much defaced.



26 JUNAGADH STATE

were kept open, ^nd five closed. In Samvat 1718 (a.d. 1661) the
fort was renovated and improved by Mirza A'isa Tor Khan.

Round the city are tanks bearing the follow- ing names :
Khokhariya, Jhabaria, Pari, Setha, Vaghesvari, Jamiyal Sa,
Knnvara, Varsa^ Vandravana, &c. : there are also himds, as the
Brahmakund, Saras vatikund, [Damaknnd, Pa- taknnd,] Khasl Kund,
and others.

The suburbs around the city are named Kha- madrol, Hara,
Madanpur, Josipur, Daulatpur^ Tenbawadi, Dharagar ; there is
also the place Bara Shahid, or graves of the twelve martyr who
fell in the battle with Raja JayasinhaT in the year S. 1395
(a.d. 1338). There are also gardens, such as the Basaratbagh,
Sirdarbagh, the Bahadurbagh^ and others, which are always fresh,
blooming, and noted for their excellent fruits, as
rayanas^custard-apples, guavas, and especially mangoes.

Sub Villages given to Nawab of Manavadar Ahmadkhan
VNTHALI and Manavadar Nawab noted in 1839 that , while battle on
OSAM Mountain returned military take hault at Naredi Zampodad
village and found stone near makabara a little mosque of Hazrat
pir Gulamsha at zapodad readed and noted place pole of mother
goddess Satibai ma of Hirji Vashram Joshi Jamjodhpur family
ancestor

The Nagar Brahmans, who commit to me- mory the glorious Feces
study religious books, and, if so minded, are able by a single
glance of protection to preserve others from destructive
calamities, inconsequence of the vicissitudes of the times,
the attacks of the Musalman and the Dekhani armies,
arethemselves now fallen from their former rank of zamindars of

T This was Jayasinha ChtidAsam&, wlio tuled from a.d. 1333 till
1345.
* JJfi-musojps 'hexm\d(,Yi% Roxb.







MOUNT GIRNAR. 27

Vadanagar, Visalnagar, Tharad, Sathodar,
- Ac. to that of beggars. These, as well as the
Brahmakhatris, who were as skilled with
the sword as they themselves with the pen,
were brought hither by the Ranas of Junagadh.
Both these castes enjoyed special privileges
secured by parwdnds, and by a stone inscrip-
tion set up in the middle of the baz^, exempt-
ing them from paying various taxes. These
rights are still continued, [but the stone in-
scription is not now to be seen].

In this country have been settled from time im-
memorial Gimara Brahmans, Ahers,* Khants,
Kolis, Parmar Rajpiits, Vaghelas, Vaja Rajpiits,
Ohudasama Rajputs, Sarasvati and Soratha
Brahmans, as well as the Surthi people. There
are also Lohanas and Bhatias, whom king
N o n g h a n brought from Sindh. The govern-
ors and Naibs of the Ahmadabad and Dihli
Sultans maintained Sayyids, Baluchis, Lodis,
and Afghans in various offices, paying them sa-
laries and pensions ; but the cultivating classes
immigrated from Gujarat.

Mount G i r n ar lies to the east of the city :
it vies with the sky in height, and its huge mass
causes the earth to tremble under it :

Its pinnacles touch heaven's lofty face,

Its 'rocks the earth's foundation form ;

Ever in bloom are the bushes that wave on
its sides,

With fruits its trees are laden heavily.



28 GIRNAR.

The top of the mountain is adorned by the tem-
ple of Sri Girnari Nath, which is visited by Hin-
dus from all quarters. There are abundant springs
of water, many fruits, and various and useful
vegetables, as well as countless medicinal plants.
The springs of Gaumukh and Kamandala vie
with Kawther, and Bhimakund Sakara-kuvo,
and Hathipagla with the Salsabil of Paradise
in sweetness.

The three temples opposite the fort or D e v a-
k o t were erected by two Bania brothers, Yas-
tupal and Tejahpal. Tradition runs that a
widow, on paying a visit to her guru, was told
that she would give birth to two famous sons ;
but a person present objected that as she was a
widow she could have no offspring. A camel-
driver, however, who was sleeping near, happen-
ing to overhear the conversation, immediately
got up, seated the woman on his camel, and took
her to his home, where in due course of time she
was delivered of two infants, one of whom was
named Vastupal, and the other Tejahpal, who
built these temples in Saihvat 1288t (a.d. 1231).

The large temple near the Bhimakund was
built in Saihvat 1619 (a.d. 1462), and con-
secrated on 15th Karfcik by Raja Satarath. The
fort and the chambers were built of black stone
by Rao Khengar of Junagadh. He built also

t One copy has S. 1277, i-e. a.d. 1221 ; both dates occur
in the inscriptions on the triple temple built by the bro-
thers. See Report on the Antiquities of KdlhiAwM and
Kachhf p. 169.


GIRNAR.



29



an idol-house with eighty-four duhhdns (small
rooms) for pilgrims ; a,nd, though it cannot be
called a house of God, no one is- outside God's
house.

Ifc is said that five thousand years ago, when
Nomina thj of the Yadu tribe heard the
cries of the sheep, pigs, and buffaloes that had
been collected for a banquet, he imagined they
were calling for justice, and accordingly he set
them at liberty, but himself retired from this
wicked world to Mount Girnar, where he became
an ascetic, on the spot where a temple was af-
terwards built in Samvat 1333 (a.d. 1277), du-
ring the reign of RAja Mandalik.

From Junasradh to the Chillah of Datatri on
the mountain, which pilgrims call Guru Datatri,
and the Musalmans the shrine of Shah Madar,
the Jogis the footprint of Gorakhnath, the
Sravaks the seat of Neminath, and others that of
Parsvanath, a road was constructed in Samvat
1882 (a.d. 1826) by a merchant of Diva (Biu)
bandar named Sanghaji. From the gate of the
fort } to the mandap of Sri Girnar Mata there
are !^J96 stone steps, and from Gaumukh to
Hanumandvara there are 968.

To the south of Girnar is the Chillah of Jamiyal
Shah, which is visited by pilgrims from great dis-

X See note 2 at page 47.

The MSS. read 1682 and 1683, but the road was under
construction when Col. Tod visited Jun&gadh in 1822.



^0 GIRNAK.

tances, who profess to derive great benefits from
their visit. The Surajkund to the north, the cell
of KaHka, the Oghad Padaka, and the Maddhi
Bharathi on the east side, are noted for their
miracles, and at each devotees sit like lions in-
tent on hunting the gazelle of salvation.

At the foot of the mountain on the west side,
which may be compared to the approach to the
throne for the constant worship of God, is the
temple of Sri Bhavanath, Paithesvar, or Maha-
deva, which is visited twice a year by bands
of Atits and pilgrims, who walk round it, and
bring to the fair, as articles of trade, arms,
shawls, jewels, and other goods.

There are various rest-houses for travellers
along the ascent to the mountain, which are
named Panchapandava, Chodiya Parab, K.^li
Parab, Dholi Parab, Mali Parab, Suvavdi Parab,
so called because a female pilgrim was there
delivered of a son, the name signifying " the
Rest-house of good delivery.'*

To the west of Girnar are also situated the
temples of Sri Vagesvari Mata and Damodar
Baya, with the Vagesvari Kund and Damodar
Kund. In the latter the bones of corpses melt.
The Revati Kund is always full of water,
and from the sands of the Suvarnarekha gold was
washed in ancient times.* It flows from the
' mountain, and it is also the common belief that

* This belief probably arose from the reddisb-yellQw
grains of mica with which the soil abounds..



RASKUP. 31

there exists on the mountain a spring concealed
from human eyes, called Raskup, which pos-
sesses the property of changing everything into
gold, and the following legend is told of it :
Not very many years ago, a Brahman having
lost his way, and being thirsty, tied his gourd
to a rope when he arrived at this spring, intend-
iDg to draw water, when all at once he heard
the words ^^Bha/r Bankdni ndmiUy' i.e. " Fill in
the name of Ranka." In spite of astonishment
he quenched his thirst, again filled the gourd,
went to the town, and, suspending it on a nail
in the house of a blacksmith, an old acquaintance
of his, who lived on the public way, he went off
on some business. It happened that a few
drops of the water fell on the anvil and hammer,
which were beneath the gourd, and changed
them into pure gold ; whereupon the blacksmith
made good use of so splendid an opportunity of
bounty from the invisible world, by transmut-
ing into gold every piece of iron he had in the
shop. In this way he became as rich as Qarun.^
When the Brahman returned he perceived that
his gourd was empty, but the house full of gold ;
and on asking the blacksmith for his name the
reply was Ranka. Accordingly he said, " Your
deposit you have received.'*
Hemistich : What is your fate will overtake
you, sure !

T The Gujar&ti has Kubera, the god of wealth.



32 SORATH.

It is said that the blaoksmith* gave a nugget
of gold to the Brahman ; but God knows best.

In the fort there are two large cannon, taken ,
with other spoils from the Portuguese of Diu ;
they were cast in Egypt a.h. 937 ; one of them
is eleven, and the other nine cubits long.

On the 'top of the mountain the following
localities also are remarkable : Hanumand vara,
the Paduka of Ramanand, Bhairavajap, Bora-
devi,Jata-Sankara-Mahadeva,Jadesvara, Siddha-
karani Mata, Muchhakanda Rajrajesvara Maha-
deva, and many others not necessary to mention.

During the lapse of time, the fort of U p a r-
k o t was deserted, but was taken possession of
in Saihvat 1804 (a.d. 1747) by Mansia Khat,
who became the source of much trouble. After-
wards it was made a choki^ but was on several
occasions occupied by Arabs, whom the Navab
Saheb succeeded in expelling.

The length of this Subah, from the port of
.Ghogha to Aramra, is one hundred and two
kos ; and its breadth, from the port of D i v a to
Sardhara, is seventy-two hos. Some say
that the government of the Chudasama Raj-
puts extended as far as the town of B u r a d,
situated on the banks of the Sabarmati near
Khambayat, and that it was called the govern-
ment of S o r a t h.

In this Sirkar there are 500 mdlguzdri vil-
lages (with 37,200 houses and 120,060 men).



JUNAGADH. 33

paying chauthy which are well established, and
the neighbourhood of the fortress is also po-
pulous. The forts of Majewadi and Kadia
are flanked by four towers. The revenue, in-
cluding Bantwa, aniounts to eight lakhs of
rupees. In most of the mahdls the revenue
was assessed by a rough guess (made by inspect-
ing the standing crops), which system is in Hindi
called dhdl; but in a fewmahals the Government
share of the produce is taken in the grain- yard.
Bero [vero, land-tax] is levied on every plough.
Sipahis and Sayyids and Nagars pay no zakdt
[customs dues]. The current hori* Nagher
Pargana is the Chdndshdhi or Padshahi and the
Divi rupee. The Parganas are Salem, Banthali,
Kutiana, Bhad Mlari, Aliah, Biarej, Chorvad,
Bandar Vera val, Patan Div, Sutrapada, Kodiana,
Una, Delwada, "and collective Parganas : Man-
grol, Jetpur, Bandar Jhanapoli, Ranpur, Bagas-
ra, Bilkha, Sil Bandar, Vera val, andAmreli.

Note 1 at page 24.

[Junagadh, * the old fort,'t anciently Qirina-
garay is a place of great antiquity and his-
torical interest. We find it visited in the seventh
century by the indefatigable Chinese Buddhist
traveller Hiwen Thsang,J whose journal runs
thus :

* A rupee is equal to 3i koris.

t Not Yhvanagchra^ as erroneously supposed by Lassen.

X Vide ante, pp. 16-19.



34 NOTE 1 ON

*' Leaving the kingdom of Valabhi (near
Bhaunagar), Hiwen Thsang went about 100 miles
to the west, and reached the kingdom of Sti-la-
clCa (Saurashtra). This realm is nearly 800
miles in circuit. The capital has a circumference
of six miles, and upon the west side {tlie country)
touches the river Mo-hi (Mahi). Its inhabitants
are very numerous, and all the families are
wealthy. The country is subject to the kingdom
of Valabhi. The soil is impregnated with salt,
and its flowers and fruits are few. Though heat
and cold are equally distributed over the year,
storms of wind never cease. Indifference and
coldness characterize the manners ; the people are
superficial, and do not care to cultivate learning
(nor the arts). Some follow the true doctrine,
and others are given to heresy. There are some
fifty convents, where they count about three thou-
sand recluses {the most part of the school Shang-
t80-pu)t who study the doctrines of the (Arya)
Sthavira sect, which holds by the * greater trans-
lation' (Mahdydna). There are a hundred temples
of the gods (Devalayas), and the heretics of dif-
ferent sects live together. As this realm is on the
way to the Western Sea, all the inhabitants profit
by the advantages the sea affords, and give them-
selves to tra^de and barter."

** At a short distance from the {capital) city
rises Mount Yeu-shen-ta (Ujjanta) upon the top of
which a monastery is established. The chambers
and galleries have been mostly hollowed out in the
face of a scarped peak. The mountain is covered



Ujjayanta, one of the names of Raivata or Gim&r.



JUNAGADH. 35

with thick forests, and streams from the springs
surround it on all sides. || There holy men and
sages walk and fix their abode, and thither resort
crowds of Rishia endowed with divine faculties."

Of the Buddhist convents he speaks of there are
still evidences. On the Uparkot there is a very
large half -ruined masjid, near which a curious exca-
vation was discovered about ten years ago and
opened up. It consists of a hall and a neat tank
or bath, with a second story or galleries above.
The hall has six principal pillars with very elabo-
rate capitals ornamented with groups of human
figures, mostly females. And again, outside the
Uparkot, both to the north and south, in the
sandstone of which it is formed, there are numer-
ous excavations of great age ; whilst, at a short dis-
tance, the masjid at Mahi Ghadechi is built above
a Buddhist cave-temple having still two pillars
and two pilasters in front, with lions rampant as
brackets outside the scarcely formed capitals.
There are also numbers of Bauddha caves near
B&wa Pyara's Math.

But about half a mile to the westward of the
town, at the entrance of the dell or valley leading
in between two of the hills that girdle the mighty
and sacred Gim&r, is the antiquity of Junagadh
the rock inscribed with the edicts of Asoka
Skandagupta and Eudra Dama. This remarkable
lapidary monument of antiquity seems to have been
first described by Colonel Tod, who saw it in 1822,
and remarked the similarity of the characters