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Origin and Growth of Faina Monachism in Karnataka
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over the lands granted to the Jaina institutions. We have instances to show that they alienated land in favour of some other religious establishments or secular persons. Srinandi Pandita is said to have granted some plots of land to his lay disciple Singaya who earmarked it for the purpose of providing food for the Jaina ascetics of Gudigere. We also learn that Srsnandi-Pandita gave one hundred and eleven matlars of rent-frec land to the twelve gāvundas, and fifteen mattars of land to Rudrayya, the son of the Pergade Prabhākara, as a sotdanamasya grant to a Jaina temple of Santinātha which had been built by Somcśvara 11.1
The monks, who were granted huge land for enjoyment and maintenance of the Jaina monastcrics, emerged as a land owning class in Karnataka during carly medieval times. As they did not cultivate the land themselves but got it cultivated by their tenants, they may be regarded as the landed intermediaries between the donors and the real cultivators. Moreover, since the donce was cmpowered to alienate land in favour of sccular persons, this gave rise to sub-infeudation which undermined the position of the actual tillers of the soil. Thus, we notice a few traits of the feudal system in the Jaina monastic organisation during the period under review. Professor R. S Sharma' has suggested that with grants of land free from royal interfcrence, the Buddhjst temples and monasteries grew into later mațhas which assumed a feudal character. We observe some feudal tendencies even in the land and village grants made to the Jaina monasteries which cnjoyed full freedom from royal interference.
Proliferation of Monastic Orders
The proliferation of the monastic organisations in early medicval Karnataka is evident from the contemporary Jaina epigraphs. The monastic order, referred to in the early records of the Gangas and the Kadambas, was evidently the Mala sangha. An inscription of 3703 refers only to the Müla sangha
1. IA, viii, pp. 36-7. 2. R.S. Sbarma, Light on Early Indian Society and Economy, p. 150.
EC, X, ML 73, p. 172.
