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JAINISM IN INDIA
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Lakkundi in the Gadag taluk the ancient name of which was Lokkigundi flourished as an important Jaina stronghold and continued at least till the end of the 12th century A.D. as is evidenced from a number of epigraphs.
Other Jaina inscriptions have been discovered from a number of places in this district.
North Kanara district : A large number of Jaina antiquities consisting of monuments, inscriptions and sculptures have been discovered in this region. During the period of the 14th to the 17th centuries A.D. there flourished in this region four principalities viz., Nagire, Sangitapura, Biligi and Sonda. Viligi chiefs were ardent adherents of Jaina faith for about a dozen generations.
South Canara district : The district of South Kanara is immensely rich in Jaina antiquities though they are of a late period. In this region are still surviving a large number of Jaina centres which have preserved the religious and social traditions of the creed.
Bellary district : The area of the Adoni taluk appears to have come under the influence of Jainism at an early age. On the Barakilla Rill at Adoni exists a rock-cut Jaina temple which has treasured sculptures of the Tirthankaras seated in a row, carved in the rock. In the hill-fort of Adoni has been discovered the figure of Parsvanatha with writing inscribed on the rocky side.
Kogali in the Hadagalli taluk was also an important centre of Jainism from early times. Though the earliest inscription disclosing the prevalence of the faith here belongs to the 10th century A.D., its history goes back to a still earlier age. The inscription on a slab set up near the basti is dated in A.D. 992 in the reign of Ahavamalla or Taila II, the founder of the Western Caulukya dynasty of Kalyana. The epigraph found on another slab in front of the same basti furnishes interesting information in regard to the origin of the temple and takes the history of the place several centuries back.
Nandi Bevuru in the Harapanahalli taluk was a famous stronghold of the Jaina faith which attracted even members of the royal family and officers of state. Mannera Masalevada, another village in the same taluk, sprang to fame in the 13th century for the construction of a Jaina temple dedicated to Parsvanatha.
Kudatani is a notable place in the Bellary taluk which owns Jaina antiquities consisting of temples and sculptures. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only
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