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Jarism in Carlz Medical Karnatala
10th centuries
The comptrative paucity of evidence of the mercantile support to Jainism during the 3th 19th centuries mas be attributcd to the decline of trade and commerce which undermined the economic and social status of merchants during this period It was not until the 10th century that the trade with the Arab and the Chinese world was revived, merchants reemerged as a dominant social group not only in Karnataka but also in the whole of South India 1 Thus, the began to figure prominently in the donative records of the later western Calukyas and the Hoysalas who ruled over Karnataka during the 11th 12th centuries In addition to the decline of trade and commerce the purutan practices of the Junas also retarded the progress of Jainism among the commercial communities in Karnataka who found it difficult to follon its rigid relig ous observances in the early s ages As the Jainis become more lax in the obsersance of their monastic conduct and practices by the 9th 10ih centuries it was easy for them to embrace Jainism
From the 17th centuri onu ards the number of bencfactions by the mercantile class to Juna establishments secins to have considerably incieased in Karnataka Of the various hinds of gifts made by merchants donations of land and village seem to have been fanly common as can be gleaned from several donative records of our period in a record of Humcca dated 10622 Pattanası amı Nokk?) a Setti figures not only as the builder of a Jinalayı but also the donor of the village Molalere which he had purchased from the Santara Ling at the cost of 100 gadjanas Another record of 10693 refers to inc pious sorl of Manila Setti tho is said to harc built a Jaina basadı at Vattavıra and endoi ed it with rich gifts of land The Hoysala hing I inayaditya II also donated the in come incurred from the pacidy crops in the village of Nadalı
i For a detailed d scuss on of the revival of trade in about the 10th
centur sce RC Vazi mdar (ed) The Sin ggle for Empre pp 3? 3 Journal of Indian History XW (1951) 19-13 Appadorai Economic Conditions of So dien Indra u 483 218
EC 11 Nr os pp 103 4 3 MAR 1932 pp 17"
