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JAINISM IN SOUTH INDIA (THE EARLY PHASE)
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of a caityālaya, which was probably near Siddhakedāra.
The above discussion shows the flourishing condition of Jainism in different parts of the Kadamba dominion. It appears that there were a number of Jaina temples at Palāśikā, which was a flourishing town in those days. These inscriptions, as noted above, has disclosed the names of a great number of Jaina savants, some of whom had even won the respect of the reigning monarchs. The reference to different Jaina sects like the Nirgranthas, Svetapaļas, and Kūrcakas prove that all these schools had their followers in the Kadamba dominion. The lay followers used to celebrate, with great pomp, the various Jaina festivals and, needless to say, such festivals made the Jaina religion extremely popular among the masses. The Kadamba kings, it appears, in spite of their religious catholicity, had special affection for the Jaina religion. It was largely as a result of their patronage that Jainism became a dominant religious force in Karnataka.
Turning to the western Cālukyas, some of whom ruled before AD 600, we find at least one king directly patronizing the Jainas. We must however first refer to a spurious grant of the time of Pulakesin I, known as the Altem grant.143 This inscription gives the date Saka 411 (i.e., AD 489) for Pulakesin I, which is an impossible date for that king, for whom we now have an authentic date, Saka 465,141 supplied by an inscription inscribed on Bādāmi fort. As pointed out by Fleet, the script of the Altem grant belongs to a much later age, and, therefore it is desirable that the details of the inscription be discussed in a later chapter.
An undated stone inscription 145 of the time of Kirtivarman I, who ruled in the second half of the sixth century AD, from Adūr (Dharwar district, Karnataka) is an important Jaina record. Now we know that Kirtivarman I's rule114 terminated in AD 597, and therefore this inscription should be placed between AD 543 (Saka 465) and AD 597. It begins with an adoration of Vardhamāna. Then it records the grant of a field for the dānaśālā of the jinālaya which had been built by one of the Gāmundas or village headmen. The inscription refers to Vaijayanti, but because it is damaged nothing definite can be learnt about its connection either with Kirtivarman or Jainism. We are then told that while Kirtivarman was reigning as supreme sovereign, and a certain Sinda king governing the city of Pandipura (the ancient name of Adūr), 117 a number of Gāmundas gave to the temple of Jinendra some rice-land to the west of the village of Karmagālur.
