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Gommateśvara Commemoration Volume
This event is found described in the Bhujabalicarita of Pancabāņa and also in the Sravanabelgola inscription No. 84 (250). With slight variations it is also available in the Bhujabalis ataka, Gommatesvaracarita, Raja yalikatha and Sthalapurāņa. However Cāmundarāya is recognised unanimously as the one who installed the Gommateśvara statue. This is also recorded in the Sravanabelgola inscriptions No. 75 (179-180), 76 (175, 176, 177), 85 (234) and 105 (254). No. 75 and 76 are engraved on the left and right side of the statue. They can be, therefore, considered the earliest ones.
Boppaga Pandita composed a hymn in praise of Bāhubali entitled Sujanottamsa which is engraved on the left side of the Gommateśvara door. Cāmundasāya is also said to be a main source of installing the statue.
The Gommateśvara statue became very popular. A number of events are connected with it. It is a traditional belief that there was a shower of Namerupuspa on the statue. No bird flies upon it. All the while, fragrance and lustre from the below portions of the hands of the statue were coming out People come from all walks of life to pay homage to Lord Bāhubali's statue with the hope that they would be free from diseases and get the way to prosperity in the material field and also would get spiritual satisfaction.'
This excellent and enormous statue installed by Cāmuṇdarāya is the best and most important ancient monument in the field of Indian iconography in general and Jain iconography in particular. The Camundaraya Purana (978 A. D.) does not mention about the statue but Nemicandra Siddhāntacakravarti, the teacher of Camundarāya, refers to it in the Gommagasāra (993 A. D.). This means that the statue was installed between 978-993 A. D., Govinda Pai, Dr. Nemichandra Shastri, Dr. Jyoti Prasad Jain and others have come to the conclusion that the Bahubali statue was installed on Sunday, the 5th day of Caitraśukla, in 981 A. D.
Cāmungarāya had also built on the Candragiri the Jaina temple called Cāmundarāya Basadi in about 985 A. D. which was extended by his sons Ecana and Jinadevana. Rakkasagarga (985 A. D.), the son of Govinda has been mentioned as Rakkasamaņi (Gangavajra) in the inscription of Bāhubalivasadi (Sravanabelgoļa). The Jain Ācārya Vijayadeva Nāgavarma was his teacher. Later on the Coļas invaded and occupied Gaigavāļi and Talakāda. This was the starting point of the fall of the Ganga dynesty. Kāliganga, the younger brother of Rakkasaganga expelled the Colas from Mysore province and established the kingdom of Hyosala Naresa Vişnuvardhana (116 A. D.)
Vişnuvardhana had eight Generals, i. e., Gangarāja, Boppa, Punisa, Baladeva, Mariyana Bharata, Eca and Vişnu.
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