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No. III PODANAPURA AND TAKŞAŠILA.
61 victory over Karma, that Bharata erected at Podanapura an image in his form, 525 bow lengths in height, which bacame infested of cockatrices. Chamundaraya tried to visit it.'
Thus it is clear from the above accounts that :1. Podanapura styled variously as Potana, Podana, Paudana
and Podanpura, was a very ancient city, which occupied a prominent place in the traditional history of the
Jainās. 2. That it was situated in the country named Suramyadesa in
the southern part of Bhāratavarsha. 3. That rulers of Podanapura were connected with the house
of Sāketa (Ayodhyā), being the descendants of Váhu
bali, who was the son of Rşabhadeva of Ayodhya. 4. That these rulers of Podanapura had friendly or adverse
relations with the kings of Ayodhya, Sindhu, Simhapura,
Rājagraha Kuru, Malaya, etc. 5. That in its vicinity were the mountains of Bhütācala,
Ramagiri and the country around was very fertile, well irrigated by the waters of various rivers, which produced Sali rice and sugarcane. The forest round Podanapura had the trees of Sandal and camphor peculiar to it, which are even lo-day the special trees of
southern India. 6. And that at Podanapura there was a colossal of Vāhubali,
which once became infested with the cockatrices and was mostly visited by the people of the extreme South India up to a very late period, so much so that Chamundraya with his mother in the 10th century set out for its pilgrimage ; but could not reach owing to its being inaccessible at the time. Thus it is clear that Podanapura was regarded a Tirtha by the Jainas of South India since it became sanctified with the extreme Tapasya and attainment of omniscience at the spot by Sri Vahubali.
1. Ec. II pp. 97-99.
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
