________________
128
Jainism in Earlr Medical Karnataka
of the householder's life. The Varāngacarita, which was composed by Jațāsimhanandi in the 7th century, informs us that several queens of Varanga took in the life of a nun.1 They first paid homage to their preceptor and then went to a loncly place where they discarded their costly ornaments and dresses with the exception of a white sāri (garment for a womanj to cover nudity. They removed their hair at the time of initiation ceremony.2
The term, ajji or äryita which stands for nuns, is frequeritly referred to in the Jaina epigraphs of our period. They denole probably the ordinary class of nuns. Inscriptions also refer to the term kanli or ganti which indicates a special class of nuns with higher position in the monastic organisation.s An inscription at Sravana-Belgoļa refers to the nun Rajñimatrganti of the illustrious Nimilār Sangha who lived in the 8th century. Similar other records commemorate the death of the nuns Anantamati-ganti,s Guņamais-avve, 6 Prabhāvati and Damitämati? in the same century. This leaves no room for doubt about the existence of the order of nuns in Karnatka the early medieval age.
However, the nuns did not occupy any significant position in carly monasticism. They were considered inferior to the monks. It is evident from the Malacaras which states that a newly initiated monk was superior to a nun who practised the life of a nun for a long time. She was expected to pay respect to a monk or to a teacher by folding her knces and placing them on the ground.
Although the subordination of nuns to the monks persisted in the early mcdieval age, they were associated with the internal administration of the Jaina Church. Each order of
1. Vorängacarita, ch. 29, vy. 93-4, p. 292. 2. Ibid. ch. 30, v. 2, p. 293. 3. P.B, Desai, op. cit., p. 168. 4. EC, ii, SB 97, p. 43. 5. lbid. SB 98, p. 43. 6. Ibid. SB 112, p. 45.
Ibid. SB 114, p. 45. 8. Mulācāra, 10 : 18; cited in S.B. Deo, op. cit., P. 500:
