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No. IV]
NEW STUDIES IN SOUTH INDIAN JAINISM.
153
" the Brahmin or sage on the Hill" or "Hill Sage."l I should not have entered into this philological bye-path, but for the fact that in most cases of thîrthas or places of pilgrimage in India, it is some great, high a miraculous human striving, sacrifice or achievement in them that has brought them into prominence and illumined them. Even the interpretation of the word Belugola, offered only by No. indicates the same thing and confirms my view that it is some miracle of a human achievement or striving that makes its material or casual environment famous for later ages. With many latter day saints or Sravakas, male or female, it became a great aspiration to close (mudipu) or dedicate the few remaining days of life in the way in which these great sages did and leave the body' in their company, at the place, which they hallowed by their residence. However, Belgula or Belgola is interpreted in the epigraphs as White-lake' and it is said in Jaina traditions that King Bhaskara built the White lake' in the village at the bottom of these hills and that he built even the village also and named it Belugola. It is, however, possible that the populace, in these parts, noticing this remarkable object of a White-lake," may have named it in their language, Belugola and the village containing Belugola, came afterwards to be so called. This is quite a common phenomenon in place-names in South India. This origin of the name must have been forgotten by the time of the description (48 265) interpreting it as ‘Silver Vase, and the pandits may have exercised their ingenuity afresh to take advantage of an event which they were called in to celebrate with their gifts of learning and poesy. Thus, even the plastic Arts like architecture and sculpture cannot gain immortal self-interpretation without the understanding and calebrating emotion and expression or emotional
1. There are a few very archoic. Inscriptions actually refering to these "Sages of or on the Hill" the No 12 has 'Sri Thirtha, guruvadigal, No 19 has 'Sri Betta guruvadigal" Some of these never came down the hill known as 'Sri Vette' or 'Rishigiri' or 'Tirthagiri' or e g, Vide Ins Nos. 21 & 15.
1. See also I.S B. No 12. "Hatea aferrer"
