History of Early Ganga Monarchy and Jainism

Author(s): Nagarajaiah Hampa
Publisher: Ankita Pustak

Page 54

Ganga Temple Building Activity / 11
avenue for magnificent basadis. The Gangas were affluent in wealth and advanced in culture; obviously, to commensurate with the wealth and the vanity, the affluent Gangas went in for temple building and extended shelter to monasteries. Members of the Ganga dynasty were on their toes, almost on a healthy competition, to build basadis after basadis, in different parts of the kingdom. To describe the basadis, without giving relevant account of the people who raised them, would be to deprive of a great deal of interest and hence care is taken to provide appropriate material available in lithic records.
Jināgama (Jaina scripture), Jinabhavana (Jaina Chapel), Jinabimba (image of Jina), Jinaśāsana (teaching of Jina) and jayamālā (hymn in praise of the jinas)- the priorities of Jaina votaries found its best expression and realisation in the basadi. Basadis were of the people, by the people and for the people. The Jaina sanctuaries were also a temporary place of residence for monks and nuns, who would not stay at a particular place for a longer period, except the season of rain retreat. Jaina shrines were both seats of worship and the centres of learning. The friars and nuns, during their stay, would teach the house holders; kings, queens, princes and other members of the royal house used to visit the basadis for the worship and to listen to the sermons.
Each and every Jaina temple invariably had Śṛtabhandaras, library of the scriptures. There were fourteen Box full of Jaina agama texts in the Jaina monastery of Malkhed olim Manyakheța, capital of the Rāstrakūṭas. Texts of palmleaf manuscripts on astronomy, grammar, lexicography, astorlogy, poetics, prosody, jain and nonjain philosophies, rhetoric and other sāstras on laukika and āgamika subjects - were included in the collection of Śrtabḥandāra.