महाराणा कुम्भा (हरविलास सारदा - मेवाड़ साम्राज्य के अद्वितीय विजेता, निर्माता व विद्वान्)

Maharana Kumbha
The great Parmār sovereign, Raja Bhoja
of Dhārānagri, who flourished in the eleventh
century of the Christian era was a great
general, a great scholar and a great sovereign.¹
¹ The eminent orientalist, Mr. K. P. Jayaswal, in his
article on the Udaipur temple of Malwa in the Modern Review
for June, 1932, p. 604, says about Raja Bhoja :—
"The most famous king of the eleventh century in India
was Bhoja of the Parmār dynasty, who was king of Malwa
from 1010 to 1050 A.D. His undertakings were gigantic: he
surveyed the whole of Sanskrit and Prakrit literature and had
encyclopædias on art and sciences compiled, books on literary
art criticism written, vast anthologies prepared, books on the
art of poetics, on astrology, astronomy, music and architecture
composed, and Hindu law re-stated. In this survey of national
culture, he took part personally more than what Napoleon
did in the preparation of Code Napoleon. Bhoja was one of
the greatest scholars of his time, he had his own theories on
poetics. He was a very keen art-critic, and composed very
fine verses extempore.
"In the domain of kingship, he was the best general of
his time. As in Napoleon so in Bhoja, literary taste and
soldierly ability were united. In the history of Hindu law,
Bhoja is a landmark : with him the Mitakshara law, which
reigns to-day, arose. As an architect and builder, Bhoja was
one of the greatest men. He conceived the idea of turning
the parched hills of the Vindhayas in Malwa into a green
paradise and succeeded in doing so. His lake which, on
expert calculation, covered 260 square miles, changed the
climate of Malwa. In Muhammadan times when the lake was
still existing, there came into vogue the saying, 'I wish,
I enjoyed the night of Malwa and the morning of Benares.
The nights of Malwa have ceased to be of that charm with
the destruction of the lake. The lake was named 'Bhoja-
pala; pal, in the language of Malwa, even to-day means the
embankment of an artificial lake. Bhoja-pal is now pronounced
as Bho-pal."
The well known Hindi couplet
ताल तो भोपाल ताल और सब तलैयां हैं ।
गढ़ तो चित्तोड़ गढ़ और सब गदहैयां हैं ॥
"Lakes : There is only one lake, the Bhopal lake :
others are ponds of water. Chitorgarh is the
only fort; others are mere fortified places,"
shows that the people held the Bhopal lake to be the king of
the lakes of the world.
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