गंङ्गदासप्रतापविलासनाटकम्: Gangadasa Pratapavilasa Natakam- A Historical Sanskrit Play By Gangadhara (An Old And Rare Book)

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1. Gujarat has made a notable contribution to Sanskrit literature especially in medieval times, and like other forms of literature, drama too was zealously cultivated. More than thirty Sanskrit plays written in Gujarat are extant, and many of them were acted on various festive occasions, as expressly mentioned by the authors in their prologues. They were performed in the assembly halls of the temples at the order of the king or a big officer or some rich merchant, and it is evident from several references that the people flocked to see them in large numbers. It appears that after the establishment of Muslim rule in Gujarat in the beginning of the 14th century A.D. the royal patronage that was formerly accorded to Sanskrit learning came to an end, but the tradition was continued by some aristocratic Hindu families and by various Hindu princes in different parts of the province. The literary activities of the learned Jaina monks were carried on many a time independently. The regional language, of course, went on developing rapidly, but Sanskrit literature-both creative and Śastric-also developed side by side, and we find several Sanskrit plays written and acted.

2. Out of a number of Sanskrit plays composed during the Muslim period, the Gangadasapratāpavilasa of Gangadhara is the most remarkable, because it depicts a contemporary historical event. It delineates the conflict between Sultan Muhammad II of Ahmedabad and King Gangadasa of Campanera, a famous hill-fort on Mt. Pavagaḍha in the Panchmahal district, Muhammad's march against Campanera and fight with Gangadasa, and his retreat to Ahmedabad in the end, because the latter was helped by Sultan Mahmud I Khalji of Mändū in Malva. The word pratapa in the title of the play is indicative of the valour of Gangadāsa, the hero, but at the same time it commemorates the name of Pratā padevi, the chief queen, who is also the heroine. Its principal sentiment is the heroic. The play was written by Gangadhara, a court-poet of Gangadāsa, and was performed at Campanera in the assembly hall of the shrine of the goddess Mahākāli, the presiding deity of the fort, to commemorate the event. Muhammad II had marched against Campanera in 1449,2 and it is very clear from the play that it was composed within a very short time after the retreat of the Sultan and so it is reasonable to assume that the play was composed about the year 1449 A.D. Though the Muslim attack on Campanera was thus successfull repulsed by Gangadāsa, it was destined for Sultan Mahmud Begaḍā, son of Muhammad II, to subjugate finally the fort of Campanera in 1484 A.D., defeating the then ruler Jayasinha, more known as Patai Rävala in the folk-lore of Gujarat. It is quite likely that the author of our play might be identical with Gangadhara, the author of the Mandalika Mahakavya (about 1460 A.D), describing the life of Mandalika, the last Hindu King of Junagadha in Saurastra, who was later on defeated by Mahmud Begada, though no positive evidence can be produced for this identification (except similarity in some descriptions and literary motifs), as the author of this Mahakavya has not given any details about himself. 3