Kumarapala (Solanki king)

Kumarapala (r. 1143 – 1172 CE), son of Tribhuvanpal Solanki, was a famous ruler of the Solanki dynasty of Gujarat at Patan, Anahilavada, India.

He was born in Dadhisthali (now Dethali near Sidhpur). During his reign, Jainism became prominent in Gujarat. He was a devoted disciple of the great Jain polymath Acharya Hemachandra.

Under the influence of "Kali Kal Sarvagya" Hemchandracharya, he banned all kinds of cruelty against any living being in his kingdom and thus, laid the foundation of a great kingdom based on the principles of Ahimsa. Kumarapala was a brave ruler who successfully fought many battles. Under the advice of his Guru, he was responsible for restoring ruined temple of Somnath. He also built several Jain Temples, including the temple at Taranga and Mount Girnar. He also constructed Somnath Temple in Pali, Rajasthan. Udayan Mehta, a very wise, brave and influential jain businessman from Khambhat was his chief minister who had assisted Kumarapala in becoming king after the death of his uncle, King Siddharaj Jaisingh; Saddharaj disliked Kumarapala during his lifetime and made an attempt on his life. Kumarapala was also called Gurjareshwar. Period under his ruling was amongst the golden era of Gujarat where trade, culture, literature and other forms of learning greatly flourished. He died within 6 months of death of his Guru Hemchandracharya.