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grants. This looks stange particularly in the light of the founders of the kingdom being obliged to the Jaināchārya in establishing the kingdom narrated in the later Kallur record referred to above. Even this important matter of Simhanandi Jaināchārya's guidance and grace is not recounted while speaking about the foundation of the kingdom by Konguni Varma or Madhava I. In fact, for the first time there is a vague reference52 to this point in Kulagana record of Sivamāra Ganga, datable to c. seventh - eighth cent as: "Sramanachārya sādhitah sva khadgaika prahārakhandita mahāsila stambha labdha bala parākarama" and a little more explicitly in Narasimharajapura record of Sripurusa datable to c. eight cent. as: "..........Nirgranth vratācharisya (su) rivachanannistrimsa ya sthyākriti yo duschhedari akhandayanprithu sitasthamba bhanjabhyudyatah I°53
In all the copper plate records datable from fifth cent. to tenth cent. the event is simply stated as either 'Sva Khadgaika ........... parākrama' mostly or 'Svabhuja jaya janita sujana janapadasya', plainly. A little later the point is elaborated clearly in an eleventh cent. Kannada inscription at Kallur as mentioned above. Why the point is not stated clearly right from the beginning with pride and reverence as one would rightly expect, in their records, is to be investigated further.
Now, with regard to the point under discussion, unlike the Kadambas, the Gangas, evidently therefore, like any other subsequent ruling dynasty, were following the tradition of religious tolerance, established long ago (right from the Vedic times and subsequently in keeping with the tradition as exhorted by Asoka, the Mauryan emperor in mid 3rd cent. B.C. : ("So Sayamo eva sādhu54) and as rulers were treating all religions with equal respect. And as and when gifts were made by the kings or feudatories, the lithic or copper plate records stating such gifts leagally, would simply begin with the most popular Jinastuti as:
Srimat parama gambhira Syāduādamõgha tanchhanam I
Jiyat Trailokyanāthasya sāsanam Jina sasanam II' There is generally the mention of the name of a certain jaināchārya, sometimes his profound learning in Jaina religion and philosophy and his spotless life commanding reverence from all and occasionally his guru paramparā, besides the purpose/s for which the grants were made and infrequently the name of the person who got constructed the Jinālaya. There would be no particular reference to the grateness of the Jaina dharma or obeisance to a particular Tirthamkara, by the donor etc.
It is in this context, the magnanimous attitude of the early Kadambas
Arhat vacana, July 2000
