Jainism in Ealy Medieval Karnataka

Author(s): Ram Bhushan Prasad Singh
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas

Page 38

Jainism in Early Medieval Karnataka
these ninety-four votive records, seventy1 have been found on Cikka-betta or Chandragiri hill at Sravana-Belgola in the Chennarayapatna taluq of the Hassan district of Mysore which has been the most important seat of Jainism from earliest times. The remaining ones belong to other parts of Karnataka.
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A third type of Jaina epigraphs, which commemorate the visits to the sacred places by Jaina pilgrims, number about twenty-five. They point out the importance of Śravana-Belgola for the Jainas who concentrated first in this area and gradually extended their influence in other regions of Karnataka.
Of the donative records, the Nonamangala copper plate of the 4th century may be considered a landmark in the history of Jainism in Karnataka. It is the carliest to refer to the donation of the Kumarapura village in Malur taluq of the Kolar district to the Jaina temple at Perbbolal and provides the earliest evidence of the king's interest in Jainism in the Mysore region.
From the 5th century onwards, grants of land and village to the Jaina establishments began to increase in number, which attests to the growing influence of Jainism in several parts of Mysore. Since grants were made in favour of the Jaina teachers mainly by the kings, princes, nobles, merchants and high officials of the state, they give some idea of the social basis of Jainism in Mysore.
The donative records of our period throw light on the resources of the Jaina monasteries which emerged as landowning institutions in Mysore. They also tell us about the proliferation of the Jaina monastic orders and show how they were divided into various monastic units such as the gaṇa, gaccha and anvaya. Moreover, they show the extent of regional influence in the formation of Jaina sanghas such as Navilur, Kollatur, Kittür, etc. These sanghas were evidently formed after
1. Cf. Appendix 'B'.
2. EC. ii, no. 4, 900 A.D., p. 3; no. 10, 800 A.D., p. 3; no. 18, 700 A.D., p. 5; nos. 38-4, p. 9; nos. 48-9, p. 10; nos. 410-4, pp. 80-1; no. 416, p. 81; nos. 418-9, p. 81; nos. 421-3, p. 82; no. 432, p. 83.