द्वितीय राजतरङ्गिणी (जोनराज - कल्हणोत्तर मध्यकालीन कश्मीर का प्रामाणिक इतिहास)

142 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
south to view this town and the other Lankā in the
south. On the side of this lake stands the shrine of
Sūreshvarī, adorned with many holy spots, affording both
enjoyment and salvation, and outshining Vārāṇasī. The
king made this place seem like heaven by adorning it
with Vihāras, and villages given to Brāhmaṇas, with
monasteries which help in the performance of pious
acts, and with hermitages where the inmates have not
to labour. There the people saw from a distance well
nourished and agreeable siddhas with long four stringed
beads in their hands. The palace of the king was named
Siddhapuri, and was constructed like rows of chariots
of the siddhas, so as to be true to its name. Within
the palace, the king repaired the delapidated temples
by props, or rebuilt them. He made floating islands
fruitful by depositing grass and earth on them. When
the hermits of the Shrī Jaina monastery celebrated the
worship of vessels, the king forgot his high rank and
helped them in their worship. There the moon was
reflected in the Yogichakra in the middle tank, as if
he came there to drink its sweet water. The king fed
thousands of hermits, until they closed their eyes in
peace and joy and perfect repose. The renowned queen
Shrī gratified the people there with food and feasted them.
The rice prepared and heaped for the feast looked like a
white elephant or the white colud of autumn which is mis-
taken for talc. There was heard the sound of horn and
hunting, mixed with the cries of the cranes, and the sound