Jayapida of Kashmir is shown as a valiant but a stupid king in Rajatarangini – at least twice, he was captured because of his foolishness outside the kingdom and the third time, he escaped capture because the local king in gratitude for killing a lion married his daughter to him. In fact, when on his first expedition out of the kingdom, he even lost his throne and was almost defeated by his brother-in-law who seized the throne but for a chance slingshot by a Chandala.
Jayapida, though, was a scholar of great note and his court was one of the most learned in the contemporary world. At the end of his rule, though, he became oppressive to the extent that he imposed random fines and punished people. The Brahmins, as usual, stood against the evil by both committing suicide in protest or leaving the kingdom, and in retaliation, ordered that he be personally appraised the day less than Brahmins died. His end too, was brought by the Brahmins – one day, a group of Brahmins came to petition him and his chamberlain hit them. They protested and it escalated into a slandering match between the king and the Brahmins – an angry Brahmin Ittila cursed him. The curse led to a pole falling on him and festered into an infected wound due to which he died after suffering long. The full story narrated in Rajatarangini of Kalhana is mentioned below.
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