Bhinmal

Bhinmal is a town in the Jalore District of Rajasthan, India. It is 72 km south of Jalore town. The name Bhinmal is derived from the word Shrimal. Bhinmal was the old capital of ancient Gujarat - the kingdom of the Gurjaras (or Gujjars) during medieval period.

The town is the birthplace of the Sanskrit poet Magha and mathematician and astronomer Brahmagupta.

History

Previously Bhinmal was called Shrimaal nagar. Shrimali Brahmins community originate from here. Bhinmal was the early capital of the kingdom of Gurjaradesa, a name derived from the Gurjara people. The name of the town during the medieval age was Bhillamal. Xuanzang visited Bhillamal (Bhinmal) in about 641 AD. He called it Pi-lo-mo-lo and documented the Gurjara kingdom 833 miles in circuit, the second largest kingdom in Western India.

Stone inscriptions of the year 1333 of the Vikrama Samvat (1277 AD) are found among ruins of some ancient temples across the town. There are signs that Lord Mahavira Swami, the 24th Jain Tirthankar, wandered here, known as 'jeevit swami'. According to the Chinese traveller Xuanzang, the King of Bhinmal was a Kshatriya, celebrated for his wisdom and virtue, a believer in Buddhism and Jainism and a man of exceptional abilities. He was just twenty years old. The people of the country were flourishing. Brahmanism and Jainism dominated the city. There was only one Buddhist monastery with 100 monks in 'Buddha Vaas' neighbourhood.