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THE RECEPTION COMMITTEE ADDRESS. 73 built on the hill and in the village, of which some are complete and some incomplete. The grandson of Chandragupta built a temple on Chandragiri which is called “Chandragupta basti" and which now stands to the memory of the great emperor.
Since this province was once under the rule of the Ganga Kings, this was known as “Gangavadi." It is clear from the inscriptions that these kings also built many temples.
Vindhyagiri :-This hill is 450 feet high above the village. Sri Chamundaraya. the minister of the Ganga King Rajamalla made a very beautiful, big and unique image of Sri Bahubali Swami, the first Kamadeva and the son of Sri Rishaba Tirthankara, and consecrated it on the hill in the Saka year 959 (A.D. 1028). Peace be to the soul of Sri Chamundaraya who has reaped the fruit of his birth as a human being and has helped the salvation of many Jivas by making this sacred Image.
Although some historians do not accept the above date, it will be seen from the following two reasons that it is the correct one.
In the Canarese work “Chamundaraya Purana "composed by Sri Chamundaraya in the Saka year 900 (A.D 978), there are references to the deeds of Chamundaraya till that date. If he had consecrated the Image before that date, then there must be a reference to it in the purana. But we find no such reference
In the Bahubali Charitra it is written that this Image was consecrated in Kumbha Lagna on Sunday the 5th of the bright half of Chaitra in the year Vibhava. From this we have to infer, that the ceremony was celebrated in the Vibhava year that came 50 years after the Isvara year and not in the one that passed before it.
For these two reasons, Saka year 959 seems the probable date. That is, the consecration took place 897 years ago.
We learn from the inscriptions by the side of the Image that Sri Gangaraja built the four praharas around the Image.
Who was the sculptor that made this great, beautiful and unique Image ? This is not known in any way : this is a thing to be regretted ; some are of opinion that this must have been made by an Italian sculptor. But when we see the unparalleled beauty
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