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122/The Rāṣṭrakūṭas and Jainism
with Kittur (Sk. Kirtipura) of the modern Heggada dēvanakōte tk, as its metropolis. Geographist Ptolemy (150 B. C) has mentioned this country as Paunnāța. Apabhramśa poet Puspadanta (C. E. 965) had mentioned Dravida, Gavuda, Kannada, Barāḍavi, Pārasa, Pāriyāya, Punṇādavi and other regions in Mahāpurāṇa. Poet Hariṣena (C. E. 931) in his poem Bṛhat-kathākōśa states in the Bhadrabahukatha :
anekasaha samghopi samasto guruvakyatah Dakṣinapatha deśastha Punnāṭaviśayam yayau
5.3.5.1. Inscriptional references are not lacking. Punnāṭa samgha and Kittūru samgha, are one and the same. It originated from Punnāḍu and Kittūru. Jinasena-I, Harişena and some other prominent authors and ascetics of this period were affiliated to Punnāța.
5.3.5.2. Punnaḍu samgha monk-authors also stayed at Vardhamānapura, a prominant seat of Jaina church in the period of 8th and 10th centuries, which had intimate tie with Karṇāṭaka. Ācārya Jinasēna-I of Punnāța samgha commensed composing his renowned epic Harivamsapurāna in the Jina Parsva temple at Vardhamanapura, which was founded by Nannrāja [Jinasena: Harivamsa: verse No. 55 in the prasasti 'colophon']. In C. E. 783, Jinasena-I completed the above poem in the Santinātha shrine commissioned by the Jaina votraries of Daustaṭikā. [Epic Harivamśapurāṇa is a voluminous poem with 66 cantos and 12,000 ślōkas, containing verses composed in drutavilambita, vasantalilakā, śārdūlavikrīḍita metres]. Acārya Hariṣena composed Bṛhatkatha kosa 'voluminous treasury of stories', in C. E. 931, at Vardhamanapura. An epigraph of C. E. 1234, from Ellora cave also mentions Vardhamanapura.
5.3.5.3. The following pages vividly demonstrate as to how the Raṣṭrakūṭa era ushered in the golden age of
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