Jain Journal 1997 07

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

Page 27

22
JAIN JOURNAL : Vol-XXXII, No. 1. July 1997
There is also an account in the Periyapurana of a host of Karnataka Jains pouring into Madurai. This apparently leads us to presume about the influx of Jaina ācāryas of Karnataka Jaina centres into Tamil Nadu. Evidently they must have travelled to Tamil Nadu on a peace mission to console the horror stricken Jaina abhernets of that land.72
Akalankadeva
The most important figure after Samanta Bhadrācārya is Akalankadeva. According to SrabanaBelgola inscription, Akalanka, designated also Devakalanka Pandita, defeated the Buddhists in public disupation at Kañci in the 8th century A.D. He was patronised by Sahasatunga, a Rastrakuta ruler of Manyakheta. His victory in the religious disputation held in the court of Himasitala, the last Buddhists of Ceylon. Wilson in his Introduction to the Mackenzie's Collection informs us that Himasitala was the last Buddha Prinse at Kañci, since he was converted to the Jaina faith by the acknowdedged ability of Akalanka.73 *
Akalanka's defeat of the Buddhist at Kāñci in a great disputation is also recorded in the Rajāvalikathāsāra.
With a view to put an end once for all to the Jainas, the Buddhists in Kañci induced their king Himasitala to send for Akalanka to argue with them, the compact being that whichever, all the members of the defeated party should be ground in oil mills. The preparations for this great controversy on the part of the Buddhists were somewhat peculiar. They placed an earthen pot of toddy behind a curtain and having summoned into it their goddess Tara, inade her to reply (seriatim) to all the arguments of Akalanka. This went on for several days during which Akalanka gained no advantage. He now began to feel anxiety as to the result, when Kusumanadini appeared to him in a dream and told him that if he put his questions in a different order, he would be victorious. This direction was followed the next day, when the Goddess in the pot was unable to answer, and victory was declared for the Jains. Akalanka then tore away the curtain, kicked over the pot with his left foot and smashed it. The king was disgusted at finding out the tricks played by the Buddhists and ordered all of them to be ground in oil mills. But at the intercession of Akalanka, instead of putting them to death, he consented to banish them to a distant country, and so, they were all transported to Kandy in Ceylon. A few details have come down to us about Akalankadeva's early life. Akalankadeva was the son of a Brahmana named Purushottama, who was a minister of the King Sabhatunga of Manyakheta. But Akalanka himself tells us that he was the son of a king called Raghu Havya. This is mentioned in his Rajavārtika.