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KARNATAKA-TAMIL NADU JAINA RELATIONS THROUGH THE AGES-HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
DR VASANTHA KUMARI Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are two important component regions of South India, and ncarly onc-fourth of the Karnataka border is adjacent to Tamil Nadu. This border, though short, has significantly influenced the cultural developments on either side of it in general and the Jaina culture in particular. The Jains of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have had many intimate contacts during the course of several centuries, and this intimacy has produced many fruitful results.
It is a well-known fact that Jainism was a powerful force in history, and that is exerted a profound influence on the life and culture of the people of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over a period of several centuries. The Jaina religion remained prominent in the Tamil Nadu at least until the end of 7th century A.D. Despite this, it is curious that, during the subsequent periods of the Jaina era, only a few adherents of the Jaina faith appear to have adorned the royal courts and shouldered political responsibilities- either as ministers, or generals, or feudatory chieftains. In contrast, the Jains in Karnataka continued to hold sway in the royal courts and they have left behind a proud record of their political role and fortunes during the subsequent era of Jaina prominence, which is believed to have lasted until the early years of the 11th century A.D.
It is evident that, the Jains of these regions did not have a smooth career. Many stories of persecution are recorded in the literary tradition of these lands, and the extent to which Jains in the Tamil Nadu were subjected to persecution, cultural attack and abuse from a very early time, is noteworthy.
This paper is an attempt to trace out the Jaina inter-state relations between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, their significance, and impact through the ages.
The Jaina tradition, especially of Karnataka, asserts that Jainism spread into the Tamil Nadu, by and large through Canarese territory. Visakācārya, an accredited disciple of Śrutakevali Bhadrabāhu is believed to have travelled in the Chola and Pandya lands of the Tamil country, spreading the Jaina Dharma in about the 3rd century B.C. A
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