Jainism in South India and Some Jaina Epigraphs

Author(s): P B Desai
Publisher: Jain Sanskruti Samrakshak Sangh Solapur

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2. JAINISM IN ANDERA DESA
investigation may yet reveal further versions of the story of still earlier periods. The above noted differences in Harishēņa's version of the narrative, however, do not disturb our conclusions reached before with the help of Nayasõna's version in the Dharmāmțita.
In this manner Jainism met with reverses in a major encounter with Buddhism at the commencement of its career in the Andhra Dēša. But all was not lost. It persisted in its struggle with exemplary zeal and scored commendable successes on other fronts. An early attempt to retrieve the lost ground seems to have been made at the time of Samprati, the grandson of Asoka, at the end of the 3rd century B. 0. Samprati sent Jaina missionaries to propagate the faith in the non-Aryan countries. These non-Aryan countries, sometimes specified as Andhra and Dramila, would mean the Telugu country and other parts of South India. Unfortunately details regarding the activities of these missionaries have not been furnished by the Jaina chronicles and therefore we have to content ourselves with vague statements and indefinite traditions.
SĀTAVĀHANA PATRONAGE: After this we proceed to the times of the Andhras, the period of the third century B. C. and later. These kings are generally known as Sātavāhanas; but some writers have preferred to call them Āndhras." There rests much unsettled controversy regarding the origin of Sātavāhanas. According to one view the western Dekkan was the home of Sātavāhanas. The other view claims them as the natives of the Andhra Dēša. But the undisputed fact remains that the Andhra territory was under the rule of Sātavāhanas for some time. Without committing ourselves to any particular opinion, we can look upon the Sātavāhanas as an eminent dynasty of early rulers of South India and notice their relationship with the present theme according to our convenience. A number of Jaina legends and traditions speaks of Sātavāhanas as the patrons of Jaina faith. But as most of these traditions seem to possess no direct bearing on the geographical unit under notice at present, we will postpone their consideration for a later stage.
SIMHANANDI TRADITION : Next we pass on to another tradition which,
1 Ind. Ant., Vol. XI, p. 246; Trivāni, Vol. VIII, No. 2, p. 181. 2 For instance, Vincent Smith: Early History of India, p. 206. 3 Both these views have been summarised and discussed in the Early History of the
Andhra Country, pp. 5-24. 4 A large number of ancient sites excavated in the Telugu area of the Hyderabad
State, for instance, Koņdāpur, Panigiri, Gājulabanda, etc., has been assigned to the Sātavāhana period; see Hyderabad Information, 1943 July; 1944 May and
September; etc. 0 J. B. B. R. A. S., Vol. X, p. 131.