History of Early Ganga Monarchy and Jainism

Author(s): Nagarajaiah Hampa
Publisher: Ankita Pustak

Page 76

A Golden Age/33
at Hombuja and of Cāmundarāya Basadi at Sravanabelago!a. These are excellent specimen of the
period of the Ganga. 6.4. Nitimārga Ereyappa, like his predecessors, favoured
Jainism. He was ever meditating at the feet of the God Arhat (1WG : No. 120: C.E. 906 : pp. 369-78]. He was a lover of music, literature and arts (MAR: 1921. p 11]. He patronised Gunavarma (890-920), one of the earliest of Kannada poets. Poet Guņavarma rendered the famous Sanskrit Harivamsapurāņa of Punnāța Sangha Jinasena (C.E 783) into Kannada. He also authored Sūdraka, a laukika-kavya in campu style, equating his king Ereyappa who had the biruda Ganga Cakrāyudha, Janodaya, Mahendrāntaka, Kāmada etc, to the legendary hero Sūdraka. Matisāgara pandita-bhatāra was the chief abbot of Belgola diocese within Kaļbappu hill province during the reign of Rācamalla-II [EC. VI(R) Sr. 85. A.D. 90405. Rāmpura (MD dt, Sr tk) p. 410]. When Rācamalla-IV was on the throne, Peggadūr and Posavādaga villages were gifted to Anantavirya for the maintenance of the basadi at Peggadūr olim Peggūr [EC. I (R) 98 (4). Peggūr
(coorg dt) p. 61] A Golden Age 6.5 An avowed Jaina, Noļamba Kulāntaka Mārasimha-II
(962-74), son of Būtuga II, gifted Kādalūr, a village in Kongalnādu (boundaries stipulated), for the worship and maintenance of the basadi caused by his mother Kallabbā [EI. XXXVI., pp. 97-110. C.E. 962 Kādalār (Dh. dt/tk)]. The village was given along with pouring of the holy water of Jinābhişeka to Elācārya of Sūrastha gana, whose feet were worshipped by kings (ARSIE 1934-35 A-23]. This Elācārya is different from the Elācārya, mentioned in another epigraph from Cikka-Hanasoge [EC. XIV (BLR) Yedatore. 84. C.E. 910]. Kallabbā was the daughter of Cālukya Simhavarma, and one of the three consorts of