Jaina Philosophy Historical Outline

Author(s): Narendra Nath Bhattacharya
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publisher's Pvt Ltd New Delhi

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Introduction 43
of Jinasena. His son Krşņa II made a grant to a basadi at Mulgund. 1 An inscription of his brother Nityavarșa found in a ruined temple at Dānavulapāļu, Cuddapah district, narrates that the king caused the pedestal to be made for the bathing ceremony of the god śāntinātha.? The Gandhavārana-basti inscription at Sravana Belgola and the Kāmagoņdamanahalli stone inscription at Sira-taluka state that being Indra IV died by the Jain method of Sallekhanā at Śravaņa Belgola in AD 982.3 The Western Cāļukyas showed the same liberal attitude towards Jainism which the Gangas, the Kadambas and the Rāştrakūtas had shown as is proved by the inscriptions of Vinayāditya Satyāśraya, Vijayaditya' Jayasimha II1,5 Someśvara 1,6 Vikramāditya VI,' and others. Later on the torch of Jainism was carried by a number of Hoysala kings as is demonstrated in their inscriptions. Some of the Eastern Cāļukyas were patrons of Jainism. Three records of Ammarāja II speak of Jainism as a very popular religion in the tenth century. An inscription at Rāmatirtham near Vizianagram indicates that Jainism continued to flourish till the beginning of the eleventh century, and that the Rāmatirtham hill was regarded as a place of pilgrimage by the Jains since early days.
Epigraphic as well as literary evidence suggests that from the eighth century onwards Jainism was patronised by the Cāpas and Pratihāras in the North. From about this period to the end of the thirteenth century, attempts were made even by the feudatories of the Karnātaka monarchs to popularise Jainism, and we have numerous inscriptions in its support. Here we may refer to the inscriptions of the Ganga feudatories of the Pasiņși family, of the Rāștrākūța feudatory Cākirāja, the Cellapātaka noble Lokāditya, the śāntara lords, the Kongāļvas the Cangāļvas, the Silahāras of Karhād, the Rattas of Sauņdatti, the nobles of Nāgarakhanda, the Yādava noble Kūcirāja, etc.. Similarly individuals of wealth and fame contributed immensely to the cause of Jainism, and in this connection we may especially refer to the
'JBBRAS, XXII, p. 85.
Rangacharya, TL, I, p. 589. 8EC, II, p. 63, XII, p. 92. *IA, XII, p. 112. 5 EC, II, pp. 35, 48; VI, p. 60; VII, pp. 135ff Rice, MCI, p. 74. 'EC, VII, pp. 95-96.
For details of the inscriptions of the Hoysalas and other dynasties mentioned above see Saletore MI, pp. 6-86.
Sibid, pp. 86-100.