________________
JAINA GURUS OF THE NAME OF PUJYAPADA.
By (Sri Jyoti Prasad Jain, M. A., LL B) (Continued from l'ol. XVI, No. 1, p. 6.)
Of these so many different Pujyapadas, the one refferred to in no. 18 above, seems to be the latest. The inscriptinn 33 is of a very late date and the Gurus mentioned in it were probably the later Bhattarakas of medieval times, who were associated with the Jaina establishment of Karkal. The lamous statue of Bahubali at Karkala was installed by Vir Pandya Bhairrasa the ruler of that place in 1431-32 A.D.34 Since then Karkala became quite an important centre of Jainism. According to the colophon of Dasa Bhaktyadi. mahasastra (completed in 1542 A. D) hy Vardhamana Munindra,** one Dharma-bhusana Bhattaraka had lor his devotees the Vijyanagar emperor Devaraja (1429-1457 A.D.) and also Sankappa Sresthi, a noble of his court. This Dharmabhusana reems to have been associated with Karkala, Charukirti an: Srutakirti who just precede him in the inscription, are also inentioned in the same order in this colophon. And one Bhattaraka Charukirti. the author of Gita Vitraga lived in circa 1400 A.D.* *According to thie same colophon one Srutakiri was revered by king Sabevaraya with whose imme. diate successors, Malliraya, Sangiraya etc., Vadi Vidyanand (died 1541 A.D.) the most prominent Jaina Guru of that century and a respected colleague of the author, also came in contact. This Vidya nanda was also associated with Karkala. Hence the Pujyapada Swami of this inscription, who was in the time of Charukirti, Srutakirti and Dharma-bhusana, and was most probably , Bhattaraka of Karkala, may be placed in circa 1500 A.D. He may have belonged to still later times since in such lines of Gurus game names, often the same succession of names are many a time found reported; but
33. M. A. R. (1926-21), p ô. 34. Prasasti Sangraha (Arrah), p. 39. 35. Ibid, pp 120-149. 36. Ibid, p. 4,65
