Jain Journal 1996 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 16

DĀNACINTĀMANI ATTIMABBE
DR KAMALA HAMPANA
Wherever and whenever an important woman moves, there is history and there is poetry. It is very much so in the case of Attimabbe, who is described as the cream of Indian Culture and an embodiment of the essence of non-violence. As a towering personality of the 10th century, she deserves a unique position among the great women of the world.
Attimabbe was born and brought up in a family of ministers and army commanders who patronised art and literature alike. A number of documents have given a vivid account of Attimabbe and her family of four generations.
Nāgadeva, the elder son of Dallappa, was a man of mettle and had no match on the battle ground. He had imbibed from his father all the proficiency in the art of war. Nāgadeva succeeded his father as the Field-Marshal of the Chālukyan army. He married Attimabbe and Gundamabbe, who were the daughters of Mallapa, a devout Jain and connoisseur of literature.
Like all his kith and kin , Nāgadeva spent most of his life in wars. As was the ordeal, on one such occasion Nägadeva, when he was at the height of his fame, met a heroic death on the battle field. When Nāgadeva succumbed to the injuries inflicted by his enemies, his wife Gundamabbe observed the custom of Sati (self-immolation) on her husband's pyre.
But Attimabbe did not resort to the act of burning herself with husband's corpse. Instead, she decided to lead a life of devotion to her faith and serve the poor and the sick. The sudden death of her husband made her more and more introspective and brought a great change in her attitude, slowly cut surely taking a turn for the better, both quantitatively and qualitatively. She started giving liberal donations to the destitute, supplied free medicine to the poor and the distressed. Attimabbe was duly honoured by Chālukya king Tailapa, with the celebrated and immortal title 'dānacintāmani' which means 'a gem yielding everything wanted by its possessor'.
Attimabbe seriously started the movement of constructing temple. It is practically astonishing that she erected 1501 Jain shrines. She