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JAINA EPIGRAPHS : PART II
325 INSCRIPTION NO. 14
(Found in a temple at Malkhod) This inscription was detected in the Nõminātha temple at Malkhod. It was engraved on a pillar of the madhyamandapa (central hall) of the sanctuary. The writing is not well preserved, having been damaged and worn out in some places. The inscribed area of the pillar measures about 14 by 10.5 inches. The document contains 19 lines, of which the last line is made up of a series of the auspicious letter Śri. The characters are Kannada and evince normal features of the period.
It may however be noted that the mode of the letters is rather cursive and they slightly resemble the script of the Telugu country. Adverting to orthographical traits, that of doubling the consonant in a conjunct letter formed of n is retained. The language is Sanskrit and the composition is prose. The writing is generally free from errors, except for the confused use of the sibilants in the following instances; māshë for -māsē in l. 2, Sanivārë for Sanivārī in 1. 3, vādisvara for vādisvara in l. 12, and shishya for sishya in l. 15.
The epigraph commences directly with the mention of the date. It is dated the Saka year 1319 current and the cyclic year Angira, the 10th tithi of the dark half of the lunar month Phālguna, Saturday. The date is not regular and some error appears to have crept in while recording it. The citation of the Saka year seems to be incorrect. The cyclic year Angira or Angirasa corresponded with the Saka year 1314 expired or 1315 current. If we make this correction, the date would be regular in its other details. Then its Christian equivalent would be a. D. 1393, February 22, Saturday.
After this comes a reference to the Nēninātha Chaityālaya. It is followed by the praśasti of a line of Jaina pontiffs who belonged to the Mula Samgha, Kundakunda anvaya, Balātkāra gaña and Sarasvati gachchha. These teachers bore the titles, Rāya-rājā[guru ], [Maṁdalā ]chārya, Mahāvādavādiśvara, Rāyavādi-pitāmaba, Sakula-vidvajjana (chakravarti ) and Saiddhāntāchārya. Then we are introduced to two teachers, namely, the illustrious Pūjyapāda Svāmi and his favourite disciple Vidyānanda Svāni. The purpose of the record is disclosed in the concluding portion. It is the erection of the Nishidhi or post-mortem memorial in honour of the second of the teachers named above in the central hall of the Nēninātha temple itself.
1 In a former voutext (above p. 195) I have observed that Malkhol is mentioned as Male.
yakheda in the inscriptions of the area, of the 12th century and laier. Au en lier allusion to this place is however found in an epigraph at Pankūr, dated the Chālakya Vikrama year 19, Bbăva, corresponding to A. D. 109 -9). In course of rec unting various deities in the vioinity of Bankūr, this record refers to the god Boptēśvara of Malikoda. This form of the place-Dame as well as its deity are both interesting.
