Page:Modern Hyderabad (Deccan).djvu/24

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12
MODERN HYDERABAD.

the wall to be built that now surrounds the ruin; but to-day the interior of the temple is littered with rubbish and the walls are disfigured by scribblers.

An inscription, in ancient Telegu, is at the principal entrance, and this relates that the temple was built in 1162 a.d., during the reign of Sri Rudra Deva, and says of him:—"He was a terror to his enemies, whom he persecuted relentlessly. To the learned pundits and those who merited his admiration he was extremely merciful. He used to keep his wife always happy. He was celebrated as the most handsome man of his time. He had no equal in his skill of horsemanship, and his strength of body and muscle was so great that a seeming touch of his hand to an opponent rendered the latter powerless."

At Daulatabad I saw records of the Yadava kings, who came into power at the close of the 12th century a.d.; and who built the fort of Daulatabad, before which tourists from all parts of the world pause to-day, while on their way to the Ellora caves, and sometimes ask:—"What has become of the warlike Hindus who built this impregnable fortress?"