I’ll share a simple “Palitana king story” that is commonly told, mainly about how kings protected and developed Shatrunjay Giriraj (Palitana).

1. Ancient name and kings connected to Shatrunjay (Palitana)

• Earlier name: Padaliptapur / Padliptapur
• Hill name: Shatrunjay Giriraj – “the hill that helps conquer inner enemies (kashāy).” ( jainknowledge.com)

According to Jain tradition, many great kings are linked with this tirth:

1. Chakravarti Bharat (son of Bhagwan Adinath)

- After Bhagwan Adinath’s time, Bharat Chakravarti is said to have repaired and re‑developed the tirth when it had become old. ( jainknowledge.com)

1. King Sagar, Shri Ramchandra, and the Pandavas

- Jain stories say that these kings also did renovation (jīrnoddhār) of the shrines on Shatrunjay hill in their times, keeping the tirth alive through many eras. ( jainknowledge.com)

1. King Dravid and other rulers

- Digambar sources mention that King Dravid and many others attained moksha from this kshetra, showing how powerful the tirth is spiritually. ( jainknowledge.com)

The main message of all these stories: Even very powerful kings understood that true victory is spiritual, so they served the tirth, protected it, and did renovation as seva.

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2. King Kumarpal and Palitana

In more “historical” time:

• King Kumarpal (Solanki dynasty, around 12th century CE) is very famous in Jain history as a great Jain king and disciple of Acharya Hemchandrasuri (Śvetāmbara tradition).
• Tradition and historical studies say that around his period, large-scale temple building on Shatrunjay (Palitana) took place. Many early stone temples on the hill are linked to patronage starting from his era and then continued by rich Jain śrāvaks (merchants). ( jainknowledge.com)

Commonly told points in Jain kathā:

• After accepting Jain Dharma under Acharya Hemchandrasuri, Kumarpal:

- Stopped animal killing on certain days and at certain places. - Gave royal protection to major Jain tirths, including Shatrunjay. - Encouraged temple construction and renovation at Palitana.

So when people say “Palitana king story,” they often mean stories of Kumarpal’s devotion and support to Shatrunjay tirth.

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3. Emperor Akbar and Palitana (later period)

Another commonly told “king story” of Palitana is about Emperor Akbar (Mughal period):

• Śvetāmbara sources say that Acharya Hirvijaysuri influenced Akbar.
• Akbar then issued orders (farmāns) to:

- Protect Palitana / Shatrunjay and other Jain tirths - Stop animal slaughter at Jain holy places and during Paryushan - Remove some taxes on Jain pilgrims ( jainknowledge.com)

So, even a non-Jain emperor is shown as respecting Jain ahimsā and giving security to Shatrunjay Giriraj.

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4. Spiritual lesson of all these king stories

Across both Digambar and Śvetāmbara traditions, the core lessons are the same:

1. Tirth‑seva is higher than political power

- Kings use their power to protect temples and sadhus, not to show ego.

1. Real “Shatrunjay” = winning over inner enemies

- Anger, pride, deceit, greed – when these are reduced, that is the real victory.

1. Palitana is “tirth of tirths”

- So many kings, acharyas, munis and shravaks are said to have worshipped here and done tapasya here. - Because of this, even one yatra done with shraddhā is said to give huge punya. ( jainknowledge.com)

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For a simple detailed write‑up on Palitana and Shatrunjay history, you can read more here:

• History and mahima of Shatrunjay tirth
• General information on Shatrunjay Giriraj, Palitana