Jaina Corpus of Koppala Inscriptions X rayed

Author(s): Nagarajaiah Hampa
Publisher: Ankita Pustak

Page 33

14 / Jaina Corpus of Koppaļa
of the early Gangas, the early Kadambas of Banavasi, and the early Cālukyas of Bädāmi, the three coeval dynasties, and it reached its apogee during the reign of the Rāştrakūtas.
Gangavādi had the reputation of being the land of Jaina temples. Gangarāja, great general of Vişnuvardhana, had the distinction of renovating and making jaina shrines of Gangavādi region shine again and look afresh. Though, the political stamp of the Gangas is found throughout Karnataka, its religious affiliation is strongly felt at certain centres. For instance, Annigere, Hombuja, Kogali, Koppala, Mandali-Thousandnad, Puligere, Śravanabelagola and Talkād were major religious pilgrimage centres for the Gangas. SB, Mandalinad, Hombuja and Talkād were within the Gangavādi-96,000 province, where as Anņigere and Puligere were in the two-three hundred principality of Beļvola-300 and Puligere-300; Kogaļi and Koppaļa were on the border of it. Durvinita alias Nirvinita (C. 555-605] had caused one of the earliest of the Sarvatobhadra olim caturmukha temple at the Koga!itirtha, which was subsequently renovated by the famous friar Indrakirtimunindra (SII. IX-i No. 117. 1055; Nagarajaiah, Hampa: Candrakode: p. 87].
An indigenous race, the Gangas had cultivated their affiliation to SB in the south, and to Kogali in the north, as early as the period of the Cālukyas of Bādāmi. Like any other dynasty or kingdom, history of the Gangas has its wax and wane. When everything was going well from mid third cent. to mid tenth cent. A.D., in favour of the wishes of the Gangas, all of a sudden, the wheel of fortune turned its axile. A vassal under the Rāştrakūtas, TailapaII (973-97), a mahāsāmanta of Tardavādi, ceased the opportunity, nailed the Rāştrakūța coffin with a crushing blow, and throned himself as the emperor of the renewed Calukya kingdom in C.E. 973. Mārsimhā 11 (961-73), who led the Gangas to greater heights of glory, after his defeat in the last month of the year 973 at Mānyakheta, the royal residence, retreated with Indra IV, the dethroned Rāșțrakūta king.
On his way back from Mānyakheta, Mārasimha stayed at Bańkāpura, formally installed Indrā-IV on the throne at Bankāpura itself, and accepted the vow of sallekhanā, thining one's own body and passions, administered by his preceptor Ajitasena ācārya,