धरापाल

{ dharāpāla }

Puranic Encyclopaedia

DHARĀPĀLA   A king of ancient times. He ruled over a country named Vidiśā. There is a holy place where the rivers Vetasī and Vetravatī meet. Dharāpāla constructed a temple at the confluence. There is a story also for his doing so. Once a Śiva-pārṣada brought to Śiva a woman at a time when Pārvatī was away from the place. Śiva and the woman were enjoying each other when Pārvatī came to the place. Getting angry she cursed the Pārṣada and made him into a fox. The fox came to the place where the rivers Vetasī and Vetravatī meet and did penance there and attained Mokṣa. Dharāpāla saw the divine plane coming down to take the Pārṣada away and he, therefore, constructed a temple at the place where the plane landed. He then arranged scholars well versed in Vedas and śāstras to read Padma Purāṇa there. He himself read Padma Purāṇa and attained mokṣa. [Chapter 29, Padma Purāṇa] .

प्राचीन चरित्रकोश

धरापाल n.  विदिशा नगरी का राजा । एक बार देवी ने अपने एक गण को शाप दिया, ‘तुम सियार बनोगें’। सियार का स्वरुप प्राप्त हुए उस, गण ने बेतसी तथा वेत्रवती नदी के संगम पर प्राणत्याग किया । पश्चात् उसे ले जाने के लिये यम ने विमान भेज दिया । यह देख कर धरापाल ने वहॉं एक विष्णुमंदिर बॉंधा । एक पुराणज्ञ व्यक्ति को पुराणकथन के लिये नियुक्त किया । उस पुण्यसंचय के कारण, इसकी मृत्यु के बाद इसे ले जाने के लिये, यम ने विमान भेजा, तथा इसे स्वर्ग में पहुँचा दिया [पद्म. उ.२८] ।