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KARNATAKA CULTURE
great impetus to the development of Kannaḍa literature, as shown earlier, and enrichment of the art and architecture of the province by distinctive types of their own. Both in quality and quantity the service rendered by the Jaina writers, artists, and architects to Karnataka Culture was considerable. Yet to attribute the military and political achievements of certain rulers, generals, and ministers to Jainism is hardly warrantable. They achieved their successes in these fields, not on account of any distinctive qualities imparted by their Jaina creed, but more by overlooking the distinctive teachings of Jainism such as ahimsa and asceticism. Such martial and political vigour or acumen was equally well displayed by the non-Jaina kings, generals, and ministers.
Eclecticism was undoubtedly the bedrock of state policy and social relations in those times, with a few equally undeniable exceptions of sectarian bigotry displayed by some rulers and other men. Thus most of the avowedly Jaina or Hindu monarchs, men and women, revealed a remarkably latitudinarian interest in the religious institutions and activities of one another. Numerous instances of these have been cited by other writers in the field, and the curious reader may refer to them. Some typical examples have also been cited by us earlier. However, one fact may be set down to the credit of the Jainas of Karnataka. There were fewer persecutions on account of religion in Karnāṭaka than was the case in the other parts of South India during the same period. This may be, perhaps, attributed to the wider, deeper, and longer permeation of Jainism in Karnataka. We have also observed before that for scores of acts of persecution of the Jainas by the nonJainas, there are hardly any instances of violent reaction on the part of the Jainas. This spirit of toleration could certainly be ascribed to the syadvada of the Anékantamata-vādins. Indeed,
3 E. g. Chapters on Religion and Society in Altekar's Roṣṭrakātus, Saletore's Jainism, and Vijayanagara, Moraes's Kalumbakula, and Krishna Rao's Gangas,
