Talk:Vikramāditya

Inscription in the Kaaba in Mecca

'A reference to king Vikramaditya comes in an inscription found in the Kaaba in Mecca [1]. The text of the inscription, supposedly found inscribed on a gold dish hung inside the Kaaba shrine, is said to have recorded in a volume known as Sayar-ul-Okul (meaning, memorable words) treasured in the Makhtab-e-Sultania library in Istanbul, Turkey.

Following are the Arabic wording of the inscription reproduced in Roman script:

"...Itrashaphai Santu Ibikramatul Phahalameen Karimun Yartapheeha Wayosassaru Bihillahaya Samaini Ela Motakabberen Sihillaha Yuhee Quid min howa Yapakhara phajjal asari nahone osirom bayjayhalem. Yundan blabin Kajan blnaya khtoryaha sadunya kanateph netephi bejehalin Atadari bilamasa- rateen phakef tasabuhu kaunnieja majekaralhada walador. As hmiman burukankad toluho watastaru hihila Yakajibaymana balay kulk amarena phaneya jaunabilamary Bikramatum..." (Sayar-ul-okul, pg. 315).

Rendered in free English the inscription reads as follows:

"...Fortunate are those who were born (and lived) during king [Vikramaditya’s] reign. He was a noble, generous dutiful ruler, devoted to the welfare of his subjects. But at that time we Arabs, oblivious of God, were lost in sensual pleasures. Plotting and torture were rampant. The darkness of ignorance had enveloped our country. Like the lamb struggling for her life in the cruel paws of a wolf we Arabs were caught up in ignorance. The entire country was enveloped in a darkness so intense as on a new moon night. But the present dawn and pleasant sunshine of education is the result of the favour of the noble king Vikramaditya whose benevolent supervision did not lose sight of us - foreigners as we were. He spread his sacred religion amongst us and sent scholars whose brilliance shone like that of the sun from his country to ours. These scholars and preceptors through whose benevolence we were once again made cognisant of the presence of God, introduced to His sacred existence and put on the road of Truth, had come to our country to preach their religion and impart education at king Vikramaditya’s behest..."

However, the book (from which the above quotation comes) remains a controvertial issue, with some Muslim communities having a skeptical view about the existance of the book [2]. Which makes it uncertain if the so called golden dish was present inside or associated with the shrine (in its modern sense) as claimed. It may be noted though that the era of Vikramaditya, if placed in the 1st Century BC, makes him predate the origins of Islam by a few centuries, and hence, there may not be any direct association between the king and Islam.'

Greatness

The section Greatness has a sentence that reads "His Bethala Pachisi and Dwathrimshati are popular stories about him." Later, in the section "The Legend of Vikramaditya", the works referred to are 'Vetala Panchvimshati' and 'Simhasana-Dwatrimshika'. It is unclear whether the names in the section "Greatness" are alternate accepted names for the works referred to in the latter section. This could be clarified with a citation or reference. -- Beta - Talk 08:59, 25 January 2011 (UTC)