Tales of two cities: Valabhi and Dhara as narrated in the Prabandhacintama?i

Abstract

Valabhi, now also known as Vallabhipur, is situated near Bhavnagar in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat and was the capital of the Maitraka dynasty from the 5th to the 8th century CE. Dhara, now known as Dhar, is located in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh; it was the capital city of the Param?ra rulers from the 9th to the 13th century CE. The history of these two dynasties is woven around their capitals, which flourished as seats of learning, though at different periods. Although their present state no longer reflects the glory retold in the region's tales and traditions, these two cities still live in the memory of the people. Jain authors of the Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Malwa regions have documented these tales in a unique literary genre called prabandha, mainly in the 13th and 14th centuries. This genre incorporates narratives in Sanskrit and Prakrit about prominent personalities and significant occurrences of the recent past as well as chronicles of different regions.