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JAINISM IN SOUTH INDIA (THE EARLY PHASE)
125
reign which refers to his brother Bhānuvarman, who was probably the governor of Paläsikā 133 under Ravivarman. We are told that Bhānuvarman and one Pandara Bhojaka granted land to the Jina at Palāśikā which was situated in a village called Kardamapați. We are further told that the land was given for the purpose of worshipping the Lord Jina on every full moon day. We must then refer to two undated Halsi grants of the time of Ravivarman both of which are of great importance.
The first undated Halsi grant134 of Ravivarman records the interesting history of a family that received favour from the days of king Kākutsthavarman. According to it, in former days a Bhoja named Srutakirti, who became a great favourite of Kākutsthavarman, enjoyed the village of Kheța. We have alrealdy noted that king Kakutsthavarman granted a field in that village to sen Śrutakirti for serving him. After Srutakīrti's death, at the time of Sāntivarman, his eldest son Mrgesa, after taking his father's permission, granted the village to the Dāmakīrti's mother. It appears that Dāmakīrti was the son of Srutakīrti. The eldest son of Dāmakīrti was pratīhāra Jayakīrti, whose family is said have been established in the world by an ācārya named Bandhuşeņa. In order to increase his fortune, fame, and to acquire religious merit, Jayakirti, through the favour of king Ravi gave the village of Parukhețaka (probably larger Kheta) to his father's mother. This interesting grant further refers to the eightday festival of Lord Jina at Palāśikā in which king Ravivarman himself participated. We are further told that the expenses for this Astāhnikā festival in the month of Kārttika was to be met from the revenue of the village. The grant further refers to the Yāpaniya monks and their chief Kumāradatta. The last few lines of the inscription conclusively show that king Ravivarman did everything to promote the worship of Jina at Palāśikā. It also appears that Süri Kumāradatta, mentioned in this inscription, was a celebrated Jaina savant, belonging to the Yāpaniya sect and was universally admired for his learning and holiness. We must note carefully the following lines of this inscription 'wheresoever the worship of Jinendra is kept up, there is increase for the country, and the lords of these countries acquire strength [urjas).'
The second undated Halsi grant of Ravivarman 135 is historically more important since it refers to the killing of Vişnuvarman, his Kadamba kinsman, and his triumph over Candadaņda, the lord of Kāñci. The actual donor was Śrīkīrti, the younger brother of
| SR No. | 022803 |
| Book Title | Comprehensive History Of Jainism |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Aseem Kumar Chatterjee |
| Publisher | Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt Ltd |
| Publication Year | 2000 |
| Total Pages | 360 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 28 MB |