194 B. Bandyopadhyaya — Hamir Rasa, [No. 3, 



A few days after returning to Dehli, the merchants called a pandit to 

 search for a lucky hour in which to lay the foundation-stones of the temples. 

 The pandit replied, " I shall tell you the time, but it is no use your building 

 the temples, because an emperor has been born who, it is predicted, will pull 

 down all the sacred edifices to the dust." The merchants said " Where 

 lives such an emperor ?" " In a carder's house, playing in the dirt," 

 was the pandit's reply. The merchants were shown the house. They filled 

 two silver plates with moJiars and, placing two diamonds on them, presented 

 them to Ala-uddin at the playground. Thereupon the boy said — " See, Sirs 

 I am but a poor carder. I need not such valuables. Pray, take these to the 

 prince in the royal palace." The merchants replied " You are our prince, 

 the sole master of our lives and property." Ala-uddin looked pleased. He 

 kept with him only the diamonds and divided the moJiars among his play- 

 mates. Then said he, " How do you know, merchants, that I am your 

 prince ? Who told you so ?" " A pandit" was the merchants' reply. 



Ala-uddin. — " Bring the pandit to me, and without delay give him 

 these silver plates." 



Accordingly the merchants took the pandit to Ala-uddin, who asked 

 him as follows : 



Ala-uddin.—' Brahman, are you sure that I shall be an emperor ?' 



Pandit. — ' Yes, certainly I am. May it please your Royal Highness to 

 grant the request of the merchants.' 



Ala-uddin. — ' Merchants, what do you want to be done ?' 



Merchants. — ' We beseech your Royal Highness to give us permission 

 to build two temples.' 



Ala-uddin. — ' Never can I grant such an unreasonable request. I 

 have made it a point in my life to pull down all temples to the dust. The 

 gods have unjustly cursed me by throwing me into such a miserable state, 

 and I will drain the last drop of my blood in wreaking vengeance on 

 them. But as you have done me honour and made me aware of what I shall 

 be, I feel bound to make an exception in your case. Go and build the 

 temples, but on their roofs raise mud- walls to the height of a cubit and a 

 quarter. Those walls shall I pull down, when I shall set out on a crusade 

 against gods and their holy buildings.' 



The playmates of Ala-uddin, when they returned home from the play- 

 ground, told their parents, how their Aha distributed moliars among them 

 and ordered the merchants of Ujjain to build temples. On hearing this 

 news the emperor had Ala-uddin brought to the palace, while the boy who 

 had been brought up there was sent to the carder's hovel. 



Ala-uddin married the daughter of Bubak Shah of Kandahar. A year 

 after his marriage, he ascended the throne of Dehli. It is written that he 



