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of which refer to the Vardhamāna temple of this place. The earlier epigraph refers to the king Vira-Pāņd ya Devarasa, It also records the gift of some gold coins (gadyāna), by a merchant, for the temple. The same South Kanara district has yielded another epigraph«5, from Varānganā, dated Śaka 1346, corresponding to 1424 A.D. It records the gift of the village Varānganā by the Vijayanagara emperor Devaraya II (1422-1446), for the Varānga-Neminātha temple of Varānganā. This surely proves that this Vijayanagara emperor had a genuine love, for the religion of the Jinas. Devarāya II is also mentioned in another epigraph*8, from this district, which was discovered from Basarūr and is dated Śaka 1353, corresponding to 1431 A.D. It records some gift for the local Jina temple, by the Cețţis of the town, Two epigraphs4? from Baindaru, in the same district, are dated 1450 A,D. The first mentions the Vijayanagara emperor Mallikārjuna (1446-1465) and also the Pārsvanātha shrine of that place, and the second also mentions the same temple and some gift for it, by the local chief.
The well-known Kārakala, in South Kanara district, was an important seat of Jainism in our period. A temple, dedicated to Gommațeśvara, was built at this town, in Śaka 1353, corresponding to 1432 A.D., by Śri Pāņdyarāya, the local king. This is disclosed by an epigraph“8 from this place, which also mentions the Jain monk Lalitakirti, belonging to Panasoge sākhā. The same king is mentioned in another epigraph of the same temple, from Kārkal, dated 1436 A.D.49 Other Jain temples were also built, afterwards, at this town, and in this connexion, we have an extremely important epigraph , from this place, dated Śaka 1508, corresponding to 1586 A.D. It not only mentions the temple of Gommateśvara of this place, but also records the construction of a new Jina temple, at this place, called Tribhuvanatilaka Jina-Caityālaya. This temple was built, on the hill Cikkabețța, near the Gommateśvara temple, by the king Bhairava II. That king also, according to this
