Jaina Corpus of Koppala Inscriptions X rayed

Author(s): Nagarajaiah Hampa
Publisher: Ankita Pustak

Page 20

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Chapter 1
PREAMBLE Koppaļa, a newly formed district in Karņāțaka, is an important Jaina centre, only next in importance to Śravanabe!gola, from the last centuries of B.C. Reputed as Adi-tirtha and Mahā-tirtha, a holiest resort and pilgrimage place, it continued to be a major centre of eminence for nearly 1500 years. Kopana, Kopaņādri, Kopanagiri, Kopaņa-tirtha are the other variants and older nomens of the present Koppaļa, used in the inscriptions.
1.1 "Inscriptions hailing from the Mysore state speak of the
usually large number of Jain temples, which was a characteristic feature of this holy place. Reminiscence of this past phenomenon is still preserved in a local saying which avers that the town contained 772 Jaina temples and was regarded by the Jaina community as sacred as Kāśi-Kșetra or Banares, the famous holy place of the Hindus (Desai, P.B.: 1957; 203; Saletore, B.A.; 1938:190; Krishnamacharlu,
C.R.: 1935:14; Sastry, N.B: 1954]. 1.1.1 Out of hundreds of Jinālayas that existed at Koppa!a, only
the following names, each bearing a cognomen, have survived in the inscriptions: Arasiya-basadi (temple of the queen), Kuśa-Jinālaya, Candranātha basadi, JayadhiraJinālaya, Timabbarasiya-basadi, Tirthada-basadi, Daņņāyaka-basadi, Nagadevana-basadi, NemināthaJinālaya, Puşpadanta-Jinālaya, śāntinātha-basadi, Sātaladeviya-basadi. Basadi is the Kannada synonym of Sanskrit Vasati meaning a Jinālaya. Of the above temples, Jayadhira-Jinālaya was constructed by the famous general Sankara-ganda-dandanāyaka in 960 C.E. [Desai, P.B.:
1957:372; Nagarajaiah, Hampa: 1998-A: 165] 1.1.2 With its caverns inhabited by Śramaņas and two huge rocky
hillocks, in close proximity as an abode of peace and penance, Koppala attracted monks and nuns. Particularly Nirgrantha friars had always a preference for such secluded places and obviously Koppala became a major Jaina re