________________
82
JAINISM IN INDIA
Cola, Pandya and other countries. Candragupta sought special permission to stay with Bhadrabahu, which was granted. Very soon the śrutakevali died and the funeral rites were performed by Candragupta Maurya.
That Candragupta, the Mauryan king, was a Jaina and attended on Bhadrabahu during his last days and died twelve years after, doing penance on the Candragiri hill, may be taken as historical facts. The Sravana Belgola inscriptions are, no doubt, late in origin; yet there is no reason to doubt their authenticity and accuracy. Lewis Rice was the first to discover these inscriptions and render them easily accessible to scholars. His view that Candragupta Maurya was a Jaina and that he came south was strongly supported by eminent scholars like Mr. Thomas and Smith.
This is how the Jainas migrated to the south from northern India and how Bhadrabahu sent away all the 12000 Jaina sädhus under the leadership of Vissakha Muni to the Cola and the Pandya countries. The Jainas entered the Carnatic and colonised the country on the borders of the Western Ghats, as well as the southern portion of the Mysore state. In course of time they wandered still further. Among these religious enthusiasts were great scholars who had enriched the literature of the country. Some of the most learned among them grouped together and formed various samghas. Each samgha was subdivided into many gaṇas, each of which was again divided into many gacchas.
The whole of South India was strewn with small groups of learned Jaina ascetics who were slowly but surely spreading their morals through the medium of their sacred literature composed in the various vernaculars of the country. But it is a mistake to suppose that these ascetics were indifferent towards secular affairs in general. To a certain extent it is true that they did not mingle with the world. But we know from the account of Megasthenes that, so late as the fourth century B.C., "the sarmanes or the Jaina śramanas who lived in the woods were frequently consulted by the kings through their messengers regarding the cause of things." Jaina gurus have been friends of states that for centuries together were tolerant towards the Jaina faith. But before attempting to indicate, in rough outlines, the nature of the vast political influence wielded by the Jainas in this region, it will be better if we remember the following points regarding the political history of the Deccan :
(1) The Gangas evercised their sway over the greater part of Mysore from the second century A.D. to eleventh century A.D., when they were overthrown by the Colas. The Colas did not stay in the country for a
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
Jain Education International
