6_Glorious_Epochs_of_Indian_History

202 SIX GLORIOUS EPOCHS OF INDIAN HISTORY
612. (12) Amarsing Maharaj of Jaisalmir also performed
a similar ceremony and built a lake called Amarsagar. In
this lake, sanctified by the great ceremony, thousands of
Hindus in Sindh, who were formerly converted to Islam,
dipped en masse, declaring their intention to enter into
Hinduism and chanted Mantras while they bathed, and the
religious authorities recognised their purification and
reconversion to Hinduism.
613. (13) A reference has to be made to Shree Vidya-
ranyaswami who like Maharshi Deval and Medhatithi tried
to check the Muslim religious aggression by inspiring the
Hindus to retaliate by bringing forth revolutionary proofs**^
of religious authority and sometimes enunciating new religi­
ous laws** for the purpose. Shree Vidyaranyaswami had.
accepted not only the supreme leadership (authority) of the
religious institution of Shankaracharya at Shringeri, but
also of the revolutionary institution designed to overthrow
the Muslim power and to establish in its place a Hindu
empire in order to protect Hinduism**. He produced not
only religious authority for the reconversion of the unfortu­
nate Hindus leading a miserable life under Islam, but he
himself publicly reconverted the once forcibly converted
Harihar and Bukka ; and when these two great warriors,
defeated the Muslims on several occasions and established in
A.D. 1336 the Hindu State of Vijayanagar, he himself crowned
and reconverted Harihar as the Hindu Emperor*^.
514. After the overthrow of the Muslim power in
Gomantak this very Vidyaranya Madhavacharya built at a.
holy place a lake named Madhavteerth and effected mass-
reconversion of the Muslimized Hindus with ceremonial baths
in it. He also provided a religious authority for the future
reconversion and purification.
515. (14) Shree Ramanujacharya, his disciples Shree
Ramanand and Shree Chaitanya Prabhu*^ of Bengal also
purified hundreds of Muslimized Hindus with an administra­
tion of the vows of Vaishnavism.
516. (15) It is well known that the most daring and.