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112 / The Rāstrakütas and Jainism
them, Nāgamayya, lord of Punganür, was prominent. Nāgamayya of Kauņdinya götra, knowledgeable and trained in many discipline, was an ardent follower of Jinacandra muni, an accomplished Jaina saint. His two sons, Mallapayya (Mallapa) and Punnamayya, started their career as officers in the Rāştrakūta army and later they shifted their loyalty to Tailapa-II. Dānacintāmaņi Attimabbe, a celebrity, was the daughter of Mallapa and grand daughter of Nāgamayya. Bhimapayya, father of Adi-kavi Pampa, and Joyisasingha, father-in-law of Bhimapayya, both were neophytes to Jainism. Vādighanghala alias Muñjārya, a savant and protege of Būtuga and Mārasimha, a proselyte, was versatile Jaina scholar. Puşpadanta, one of the greatest of Prakrit authors, was a Jaina convert. Kannada literature was on the threshold of steppingout of the commentary phase. The period of writing commentaries on Tattvārtha sūtra of Umāsvāti had preceeded the stage of classical literature in Kannada language. By the time AmõghavarşaI could succeed to the throne in the early decades of ninth cent. C. E., Kannada literature had entered the plane of epics and classics, with Sanskrit and Prakrit as its backdrop. Kannada authors ransacked the literary riches of Sanskrit and the opulence of Prakrit poems, that was easily obtainable at their doors.
5.2.2. Jaina authors of this period made most valuable contribution to Sanskrit and Prakrit literature. Jainas had by this time opted to Sanskrit and the regional languages, by consigning Prakrit to secondary place. Ever since the skillful Umāsvāti wrote Tattvārthasütra and Jațāsimha nandi composed Varānga caritam in Sankrit, Jaina literatary genius authored some important polemical works also. The Rāştrakūta empire was a nest of singing birds comprising illustrious Jainas. This is indicative of the flourishing state of śramaņa dharma in this age. Jaina men of letters could
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