Jaina Corpus of Koppala Inscriptions X rayed

Author(s): Nagarajaiah Hampa
Publisher: Ankita Pustak

Page 86

Corpus of Koppa!a Inscriptions / 67
Baddega alias Bhadradeva alias Vāgaraja (955-65), a scion of the Cālukyas of Vemulavāda olim Lembulapāțaka, and son of Arikesari II (930-55), was a ruler of Sapāda-LaksaKșiti country, i.e., Vemulavāda. At the instance of his rājaguru Somadevasūri of the Gaudasangha, Baddega caused a Jaina temple. Somadevasūri composed and completed Yaśastilaka campū in A.D. 959, at Gangādharā, the residence of Vaddega, a sāmanta of Krişna III, the Rāştrakūța king. Somadevasūri continued to live during the reign of Arikesari Ill, son of Baddega, who granted the author a village for the upkeep and repairs of the Jinālaya caused by Baddega, his father. There are no traces of this Jinālaya at present at Vemulavāda, except the broken pillars and statues of the old temple which are now kept in the Rājarājeśvara temple. On the pedestal of a Jaina image kept in the Rājarājeśvara temple, an inscription of the king
Baddega is engraved (ARIE 1945-52. p.4.]. NIRGRANTHA VESTIGES AROUND KOPPAĻA
A cursory glance at the surrounding Jaina places of piligrimage, will justify the existence of a strong nucleus at Koppa!a. Within the radius of abovt 100 kms from Koppaļa exist a good number of ancient and major settlement, clearly showing that Jainism had a firm foothold in the region. Towards north-west are Aiho!e, Pattadakal, Bādāmi, Annigese, ĀŅūr, Mu!gunda, Laxmeśvar (Puligere), Hungund (Ponnugunda), Gadag, Ron, etc; towards north-east are Lingasūr, Māski (Piriva-Mosangi) etc. These were the nerve centres of the ism of non-absolutism (anekānta). A bronze image from Lingasür (No. 16) has been dated to the sixth century C.E. [Shah, U.P., Jaina Bronzes - a brief survey, in Aspects of Jaina Art and Architecture, eds., U.P. Shah and M.A. Dhaky, Ahmedabad, 1975, pp. 269-98].
Apart from an active movement of the Jaina missionaries, many champions of Jainism were holding sway over these parts for several centuries, and thus Jainsim had received a fillip. An extensive and systematic survey of the scattered Jaina vestiges in these places is still a desideratum. Because of the lack of such a consistent and methodical