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JAINISM IN SOUTH INDIA
rectangular in shape and moulded like the Mānastambha was lying near the Hanuman temple outside the Brahmapura area. These objects may roughly be assigned to the twelfth century A. D.
HĀGARGI This village included in the Saradgi taluk of the Payagā Jāgir is about 5 miles to the east of Gulbarga. The belief is prevalent in regard to this locality that formerly it was a stronghold of the Jaina faith, all the inhabitants having been its followers. This tradition is duly substantiated by the proportionately large number of Jaina families residing in this village to the present day. Further corroborative evidence on the subject is furnished by a piece of sculpture discovered near a well in this village. This sculpture consists of the figure of Pārsvanātha Tirthakara attended by the two Sāsanadēvatās, Dharaņēndra and Padınāvati, all carved in a single frame of stone. The image is fairly big in size. Evidently it must have been installed once upon a time in a temple dedicated to the deity. The well which is known as the Jinadēvara Bhāvi (i. e., the well of has still preserved in its name the Jaina associations of the bygone days.
HARASŪR This big village is about 8 miles to the north-west of Gulbarga. It contains a large number of ancient temples and sculptures many of which are associated with Jainism. I noticed at least three Jaina temples and over a dozen beautiful stone images of Tirthakaras in and near them. The temples presented themselves as fair specimens of the Chālukyan architecture of the Mediaeval epoch; but unfortunately they were standing in a desolate condition. The images were not only not under worship, but were lying in a forsaken state. Many of them were badly damaged and discarded.
One of the temples was in a somewhat better state of preservation than the other two. This was triple-shrined, containing three inner shrines dedicated to three deities. The presiding deity was Pārsva image was installed in the main shrine facing the east. The image was fairly big in size, a fine specimen of sculpture having an imposing appearanoe. It was attended on the two sides by the Śāsanadēvatās, Dharaṇāndra and Padmavati. At the entrance into this shrine were seen the images of the same Jina on the two sides. Of the two collateral shrines facing the north and the south respectively, the former again contained a similar image of the same deity. Outside the entrance of this shrine on each side were installed the
1 I am not sure if this image could be Supärśva and not Pārsvanátha, Epigraphical
evidence is available to show that the image of Supărśva was not unknown to these parts. An inscription on stone from Honwäd, Bijapur District, speaks of a tripleshrined temple in that place, whose central deity was Sántinātha, the two side deities being Pårsvanátha and Supārsva; Ind. Ant., Vol, XIX, p. 269.
