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JAINISM IN SOUTH INDIA (AD 600-1000)
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Saundatti (Belgaum district, Karnataka). The ancient name of Saundatti was Sugandhavarti. This place apparently sprang into prominence in the ninth century AD. The earliest inscription" from this place is dated in the Saka 797 corresponding to AD 875. It refers to the Rāstrakūta Krşņa as the overlord and it appears that this Krşņa is no other than Krsna II.74 This stone epigraph is found in the present Ankeśvara temple at Saundatti. The founder of the house was one Mecada, who had a son named Pșthvīrāma; this gentleman is described as a mahāsāmanta under Krsna II. We are further told that he was a lay disciple of Indrakirti. This Indrakīrti was a disciple of Guņakīrti and the latter of Mūļabhattāraka of Kāreya gana hailing from Mailāpatirtha. It is evident that the earliest preceptor of this line was a resident of Mailāpatirtha. In Saka 797 the feudatory king Pệthvīrāma granted some land for a Jinendrabhavana (temple dedicated to Jinendra) which was constructed by him at Sugandhavarti. It further appears that during his time Pșthvīrāma was a very insignificant chieftain as his adhisthāna (capital) is described only as a village (grāma) in this epigraph. From some other inscriptions we further learn that the Krāreya gana, to which Indrakirti and others belonged, was a branch of the well-known Yāpaniya Saṁgha.75 The language of this epigraph clearly indicates that Ratta Pșthvirāma was a converted Jaina, and his successors too, as we will now see, were also Jainas.
Chronologically the next inscription of the Rattas is dated in the Śaka 902, corresponding to AD 980. This is another stone epigraph76 from the same temple; it discloses the name of Mahasamanta Santivarman, who was a grandson of Prthvirāma. At this time, according to this epigraph, Cālukya Tailapadeva, i.e., Taila II, was the overlord of this chieftain. It appears that the Rattas quietly transferred their allegiance, after the fall of the Rāştrakūțas, to the Cālukyas. The Jaina temple complex there, it appears was a family shrine of the Rațțas. This why there is the expression 'Rattara-patta Jinālaya' in the introductory part of the epigraph. The mother of Sāntivarman also made donations to the Jaina temple there. The gift was received by the preceptor Bahubali Bhattāraka. It appears from the epigraph that the earliest preceptor of Bahubali's line was Ravicandra, who was succeeded by the following: Arhanandin, Subhacandra, Maunideva, and Prabhācandra. The earliest sādhu Ravicandra therefore lived during the first half of the ninth century AD. These preceptors belonged to the Kandūra gana, which also was
