Jainism in Kalingadesa

Author(s): Bool Chand
Publisher: Jain Cultural Research Society

Page 12

( 10 ) From now onwards campaigns werc undertaken, it seems, in very quick succession, as the king was now in the prime of his life. In the twelfth year, he produced consternation among the kings of Uttarapatha by plundering the capital of Magadha, Pataliputra, and compelling the Raja of Magadha, Brhaspati-Mitra (who has been indentificá by historians with Pushyamitra, the Sunga usurper of the Mauryan thronc), to surrender. During this campaign, he brought away an image of Kalinga-Jina, which had been taken away from Kalinga by Nanda-raja. In the same ycar, Kharavela seems to have subdued the Pandyas, who sent him, the inscription mentions, jewelry, either as present or as tribute.
Finally, for the Hathigumpha inscription finishes with the 13th year of the reign, Kharavela made arrangements in his 13th ycar for the distribution of white clothes to the Jain monks on the Kumari hill where thc Jina Mahavira had preached his religion, and built a relic memorial at this place. During this year. Kharavela secms to have devoted himself entirely to religious mcditation and activity. As mentioned in line 14 above, he had already taken the vow of an Upasaka and fully, understood the rclat on between body and soul.& Now he convened a Ja'n Council, where monks from all quarters were assembled and the text of the Jain canon was compiled in so far as it was possible to do so after the loss suffered during the religious uphcaval in the days of Mauryas. As we have stated before, there is unluckily no mention in the Jain traditional literature of this Jain Council.
The Hathigympha inscription is silent about further cvents of the reign of Kharavela. We cannot, therefore, spcak with certainty about the length of his rule. Still, the inscription gives us matcrial enough to assert with firmness that Kharavela was a powerful prince and raised the position of Kalinga to great heights. The importance of the record, from the point of view,
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