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1.
BPIORAPHIC AND NUMISMATIC SOURCES
(PART VIL came to power with the help of a Jaina ascetic named Santi-deva. BittigaVispuvardhana's wife Santala-devi was a lay-disciple of the Jaina teacher Prabhācandra. Some of his ministers were promoters of the Jaina faith.' There seems to be no doubt that the early Hoysaļas were Jainas, till Bittiga was converted to Vaişpavism by Rāmānuja. Bitti, the greatest ruler of this dynasty, was a fervent Jaina down to the time when he was converted. His wife Santalā-devi remained a Jaina even after his conversion. Bitti was the first Hoysaļa ruler to issue coinage in gold after wresting Talakad from the Cola governor in 1116. The maned lion on his coins and the figure of Yakşi Ambikā on lion, identified wrongly earlier,' would vouchsafe for his Jaina leanings before his conversion. On his conversion he is said to have issued coins with the figure of Rāmānuja.
The Hoysala coinage are double-die-struck issues and are of better execution than the Calukyan coinage. Two well-known types of Hoysala coinage are the two gold issues of Vişnuvardhana celebrating his conquests of Talakad and Nolambavādi. The Talakādu-gonda and the Nolambavādiganda series are as follows:
Talakādu-gonda series Obverse : In linear circle maned lion to right with left forepaw raised and
face turned backwards. Above it is another similar smaller lion to right with sun and moon. The lion is turned towards a pillar
on which is a discus. Reverse : Three-line legend in Kannada--(1) Sri-Ta- (2) lakādu- (3) gonda. Nolambavadi-ganda series Obverse : Linear border--maned lion to right represented by pellets; on
his back is the figure of a goddess, four-armed, holding a sword
and discus with a small figure on one side. Reverse : Three-line legend in Kannada--(1) Sri-No- (2) nambavddi
(3) ganda It was hitherto surmised that the figure depicted on the obverse of this coin was Câmunda, but on a closer examination the figure is found to be
1 Bombay Gazetteer I, part II, p. 492. Archaeological Survey of Mysore, Annual Report, 1929. W. Elliot, Coins of Southern India, London, 1886, p. 82.
Ibid., plate III, 90; also Archaeological Survey of Mysore, Annual Report, 1929, p. 24, plate IX, 2.
Elliot, op. cit., plate III, 91; Archaeological Survey of Mysore, Annual Report, 1929, p. 24, plate IX, 2.
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