Contribution of Jainas to Sanskrit and Prakrit Literature

Author(s): Vasantkumar Bhatt, Jitendra B Shah, Dinanath Sharma
Publisher: Kasturbhai Lalbhai Smarak Nidhi Ahmedabad

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Contribution of Jainas to Sanskrit and Prakrit Literature
temple or village or used for some others purpose. Henry Cousens has observed this fact in this book on "The Chalukyan Architecture [1926 p. 13] "The Lingayats were particularly hostile towards the Jains, and wherever they could, they appropriated their temples as well as those of the orthodox hindus."
Rāmagiri-Rāmatīrtham flowered into an influential centre of Nirgrantha faith and learning under the patronage of Visnuvardhana-IV (C. E. 771-806). The Rāṣṭrakūta king Govinda-III (C. E. 793-814) had once retired to the banks of the Tungabhadra and fixed his camp at the Rāmēśvara-Tirtha when Visnuvardhana-IV and his successor Vijayaditya-II (C. E. 808) of Vengi were ruling. Prince Amoghavarṣa-I was then a tiny tot of six years old. Trikalayogin Siddhantadeva muni, an ācārya of Desigaṇa, preceptor of the king stayed here to observe austerities. Ugrāditya, a celebrated Jaina pontiff and author of Kalyāṇa kāraka, a treatise on medicine, completed his work at the same Rāmagiri Jaina monastery. At present the place is in the custody of non-Jains. The modern Ramalingeśvara temple at Kuḍitini and Mailāralingēśvara temple at Bāgali, both in Bellary District. Anjaneya temple at Basavana Bagĕvāḍi (Bijapur Dt) were basically Jaina sanctuaries. The Anjaneya (Hanuman) temple at B-Bagēvāḍi still possess all the early traits of Jaina mandir. Image of Jina in the Lalatabimba-tutelary figure and images of YakṣaYakṣi, Jaina deities are preserved as indisputable proofs. Holagundi (Bellary Dt, Haḍagali Tk) Mallinātha shrine of C. E. 1167 has become Sōmanatha temple, but epigraphs and sculptural details speak of its Jaina origin. Śiragēri (Bellary Dt., Siraguppa Tk) Pārśva temple has been converted into Virabhadra temple. But, the tutelary deity remains to be a Jina. On the Vimana of all the three sides of garbha-gṛha, Jina Parsva in Käyotsarga figure prominently.
A Jaina inscription (C. 12th cent.) found on the pillar in the southern gōpura of the famous Viranārāyaṇa svāmi temple at Gadag, a district headquarters states that Mahadeva, a follower of Jaina faith and a mahāpradhāna, chief-minister of Ekkalabhūpāla of the town Uddhare (Udri in Shimoga Dt) renovated the Jinālaya. Mahādēva a worthy chief minister of the stature of the well-reputed early Jaina ministers like Nimbasāmanta, Gangapayya pradhāna and Rēcana-dandēśa. Jina-Pārśva image, seated in paryankāsana, and some other Jaina edifice are found in the compound of the above temple. Prof. M. H. Haridas, a research scholar, has rightly observed that up to the end of 12th cent. a Jaina temple existed at this place.