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JAINISM IN SOUTH INDIA (AD 600-1000)
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Brahmanical deities. It should also be pointed out that the two famous Digambara commentaries, Dhavalā and Jayadhavalā, were named after Amoghavarsa I, who was also known as Dhavala and Atiśaya Dhavala.
The successor of Amoghavarșa I was Krsna II for whose reign we have the Saundatti inscription dated AD 897 which has already been discussed. Another Jaina inscription"36 of his reign is the Mulgund inscription dated Saka 824, corresponding to AD 902 Mulgund was a renowned Jaina centre and is situated in the Gadag tāluk of Dharwar district. We are told in this stone inscription that during the time of Krşņa II, his governor Cikārya, son of Candrārya, the governor of Dhavala-visaya and belonging to Varavaiśya caste, constructed a lofty temple of Jina at the town of Mulgunda. His younger son Arasārya (the brother of Nāgārya), who is described as proficient in the new Agama (nayāgamakusalaḥ) and a man of great liberality, made an endowment for the maintenance of the jinālaya, built by his father (pitskāritajinālayāya). The gift was entrusted to his preceptor Kanakasena Sūri, who was the disciple of munipati Vīrasena and who in turn, was the pupil of pujyapāda Kumārasena Acārya of Candikavāța (Candrikāvāța), belonging to Senänvaya. Kumārasena, Vīrasena, etc. are also mentioned in the Camundarāyapurāna,'37 and it has been suggested 138 that Kumārasena was the fourth predecessor preceptor from Cämundarāya. In that case, Kumārasena should be placed in the mid-ninth century AD.
Krşņa II was probably the patron of Guņabhadra, the author of the Uttarapurāņa.139 This work was completed in Saka 820 by Guṇabhadra's disciple Lokasena in the reign of Akālavarsa or Krsna II. His patron was Lokāditya, who was a governor of Bankāpura in Vanavāsī under that Rästrakūta king. This Lokāditya was a patron of Jainism, as we learn from the praśasti of the Uttarapurāņa. 140 Guņabhadra himself claims that Krsna II was his disciple, 141 and there is no reason why we should disbelieve this. An interesting inscription142 from Sravana Belgola which has already been referred to, connects a Jaina saint called Paravādimalla with one Krsnarājā, who has been identified with this Rāştrakūta monarch. There is another Jaina inscription!43 which mentions Lokāditya (called Lokateyarasa) and his overlord Krsņa II. This inscription is dated AD 902 and was discovered from Bandalike, ancient Bāndhavanagara in Shikarpur tāluk of Shimoga district. It appears from the inscription that this place was looked upon as a Jaina tīrtha (sacred place).
