Jain Legend Vol 2

Author(s): Hastimal Maharaj, Shuganchand Jain, P S Surana
Publisher: Hastimal Maharaj Shugan C Jain P S Surana

Page 297

follow the simple and deferential principles of life preached by Buddha without any vanity, show, extravagance or ostentation. Alternatively, a large number of devotees revere Buddha as an incarnation of God and worship his idol. These are the Mah y na followers. Kani ka patronised Mah y na. During his regime, the idols of Buddha were worshipped with great extravagance, and the art of sculpture progressed by leaps and bounds. Though he was an ardent follower of Buddhism, Kani ka showed religious tolerance and was benevolent towards other religions.
In his regime, Sanskrita literature received great impetus. His court-po A wagho a wrote Buddh c ritra, Saundar nandam and Vajra c, which were regarded as the best contributions to the Sanskrita literature.
For the smooth and efficient administration of his far-flung empire, he divided his kingdom into provinces called Satrapies, headed by provincial governors, the Satraps. The Satrapies of Mathura, Varanasi, Gujarat, Kathiawad and M lwa and their Satraps - Kharapall na and Vanasphara - were specially mentioned by the historians.
Even during the calamitous period of both national and international campaigns led by Kani ka - the powerful king of Ku a dynasty, some of the Indian kings maintained their independence with velour and courage. The shining example was the S tav hana dynasty in southern India, whose reign stretched unbroken over a long period, right from the time of Vikram ditya to V.N. 993; substantial evidences are available both in Jain literature and other historical texts in support of this point. That some of the kings of the Stav hana dynasty were the followers of Jainism, is found mentioned at many places in Jain literature.
During the reign of Kani ka, the Buddhists and the King amalgamated to such an extent that, the exaltation of either of them was perceived and rejoiced by the other as if it were his own. Because of this close association there was total all-round help from the Buddhist congregation for the progress of the Ku a Empire and Kani ka's influence continuously increased in Buddhist congregations. This mutual close cooperation was a boon in the exaltation of Buddhism, albeit, it also proved to be an inexorable bane. The Indians who wanted to free themselves from the yoke of the foreign rule and who bred contempt towards the Ku as, obviously felt increasing hatred towards the
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