Uga was a

Vala Vala or VALA may refer to: Religion and mythology * Vala (Vedic), a demon or a stone cavern in the Hindu scriptures * Völva, also spelled Vala, a priestess in Norse mythology and Norse paganism Fiction * Vala (Middle-earth), an angelic being in ...

chief of

Talaja Talaja may refer to: People * Roope Talaja (born 1988), Finnish ice hockey player * Silvija Talaja (born 1978), Croatian tennis player Places * Talaja Caves, India * Talaja, Bhavnagar Talaja is a town and a municipality in Bhavnagar distric ...

Saurashtra Saurashtra, Sourashtra, or variants may refer to: ** Kathiawar, also called Saurashtra Peninsula, a peninsula in western India ** Saurashtra (state), alias United State of Kathiawar, a former Indian state, merged into Bombay State and since its d ...

region of modern

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

state of India. He ruled the region around the end of 10th century. He is popular folk hero of bardic poetry of region.

Tales in bardic literature

Uga Vala was a maternal uncle of Ra Kavat, the

Chudasama Chudasama may refer to: * Chudasama dynasty, a dynasty of Gujarat, India * Chudasama (Mer clan), clan of Mer community * Chudasama (Rajput clan), clan of Rajput community * Chudasama (surname), Gujarati surname See also * Chuda (disambiguation ...

ruler of Saurashtra. Uga Vala's sister was married to Kavat's father

Graharipu Graharipu was a 10th-century Chudasama ruler of the Saurashtra region of western India, with its capital located at Vamanasthali (now Vanthali). He was a contemporary of Mularaja, the first Chaulukya ruler of Anahilapataka (now Patan). Grah ...

. On one occasion when all the warriors were relating their achievements before Kavat, all extolled Uga Vala so much that the Ra grew jealous, and said to Uga Vala that he was a good warrior when aided by Vanthali but otherwise not of much account. Vala Uga, however, boasted that he could manage without the aid of Vanthali, the Chudasama capital, and said metaphorically that he could clap hands with one palm i.e. without the assistance of the Ra. He then left the court in anger and returned to Talaja. Viramdeva Parmar, the chief who held Shiyal Island, which is one of a group of three islands off the coast of Saurashtra, near Jafrabad. It is said that he was contrived to capture many Rajas by his stratagems and confined them there in a wooden cage. At last, he captured chiefs of all the thirty six races except the

Yadava The Yadava (), not to be confused with Yadav, were an ancient Indian people who believed to have descended from Yadu (legendary king), Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the #T ...

on his island. As he wished to capture Kavat who was Yadava, he persuaded him to visit him on board of his ship which was riding at anchor near

Prabhas Patan Prabhas Patan, historically named Dev Patan, is a locality in Veraval, Gujarat. As the site of the Somnath temple and its associated Jyotirlinga (an aniconic representation of the god Shiva), it is an important place of Hindu pilgrimage. P ...

and there treacherously captured him, and sailing off with him to the Shiyal island confined him there with the other chiefs in the wooden cage. Kavat, now in prison sent the following message to Uga Vala by means of a wandering minstrel (a bard) who had passed by his prison: On hearing of the capture of Kavat, Uga Vala set off with a large army to release him, and arrived at the Shiyal Island. After obtaining access to the island by a stratagem, he put the garrison to the sword and slew Viramdeva. In his anxiety to release Kavat, he burst open the wooden cage with a kick. In doing this his foot accidentally struck Kavat. Kavat was much enraged at this and though Uga Vala made much submission to him, he treasured up the grudge, and after returning to Vanthali he led an army against Vala Uga and finally killed him near Chitrasar in Babariavad where his ''

paliya The Paliya or Khambhi is a type of a memorial found in the western regions of the India subcontinent, especially Saurashtra and Kutch regions of Gujarat and also in Sindh region of Pakistan. They mostly commemorate the death of a person. These s ...

'' (memorial stone) now stands. Alternate version says that Uga Vala has spared Shiyal Island chief's life. It is said that when he forced his way to the Shiyal Island chief's palace seeking him, that his wife met him and besought him to spare her husband's life in the following stanza: Thus adjured, Uga Vala spared Shiyal Island chief's life, but released all the chiefs whom he had imprisoned. It is said that Uga Vala's sister came to visit her brother's ''paliya'' but found several memorial stones and knew not which was that of her brother In her grief she implored her brother to give her a sign as to which was his ''paliya'' and on this Uga Vala's ''paliya'' bent forward to greet her. Hence this ''paliya'' does not exactly face the east. It is still bending forward as it is supposed to have done to greet his sister.

Notes

References

{{Chudasama dynasty History of Gujarat Indian folklore 10th-century Indian monarchs