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Conclusion
the 5th century till the 9th century, Jainism in Karnataka seems to have thrived mainly under the patronage of the rulers, their ministers, nobles and other high officials of the state. It is fully substantiated by the large number of the donative records of this period which refer to the generous endowments made by the aristocratic people. Thus, this nullifies the popular erroneous belief that Jainism has always been a religion of the mercantile classes because between the 5th and the 9th centuries at least in Karnataka Jainism owes its expansion to the support of the rulers and administrators. But from the 10th century onwards, we have evidence to show the gradual extension of its social basis especially among the merchants, who embraced Jainism as ardently as the rulers and administrators during the 10th-12th
centuries.
The absence of the merchant followers of Jainism in Karnataka in the early period (5th-9th centuries) can possibly be explained by the decline of trade and commerce not only in Karnataka but in the whole of southern India and the subsequent decrease in the social and economic status of the merchants. Further the few merchants that existed found it difficult to follow the puritan practices of the Jainas in the early stages. Only when commerce revived from the latter half of the 10th century the commercial class came into prominence in Karnataka It was easy for them to join Jainism because by this time Jainas became more lax in the observance of their monastic conduct and practices. At any rate the number of merchant donors was smaller in comparison with that of the kings and princes even in the later period.
The material başșis of the Jaina monasteries in Karnataka was provided by the generous benefactions made by the princes and rich persons. The donors patronized the Jaina monks and monasteries by transfering villages and innumerable plots of land. The donees earned considerable income from their corn-fields and gardens. The donation of oil mills, houses and the custom duties constituted another important source of income for the Jaina monasteries in Karnataka. On account of their huge wealth in landed property, the Jaina monks emerged as a land owning class in Karnataka in the
