________________
400
JAINISM IN SOUTH INDIA the Gulbarga Dt., I have dealt with this place and shown that it abounds in Jaina vestiges. This village has preserved even to the present day its importance as a Jaina centre of pilgrimage though on a modest scale. During my explorations of this place I noticed here a few inscriptions of the 11th and 12th centuries bearing on other subjects, but no Jaina epigraph was available to me. Nor have I come across so far, barring its casual mention in an inscription of the place, any other epigraphical reference from outside to this interesting resort of Jainism, which appears to have been in a thriving state at least till the end of the 12th century.
It is thus seen from the present study that besides Ēkāntada Rāmayya there lived in the latter half of the 12th century two more aggressively powerful leaders of the Saivite movement who launched a severe offensive against Jainism and its supporters in Karnātaka. Vira Goggidēva of the Aņņigēri inscription and Viruparasa of the Tāļikõți epigraph played a decisive rôle in loosening the hold of Jainism in the northern parts as did Ékāntada Rāmayya in the south. Then we have to take into consideration the achievements of Basavēévara, the great champion of the Virasaiva faith, who, though he raised his standard of revolt primarily against the orthodox practices of Brahmanical religion, did not spare Jainism that came in his way.'
It may not be out of place to review in the context the genesis of the dispute between the Kalachuri usurper Bijjala II and Basavēśvara, the great champion of the Virasaiva sect. This conflict which had far-reaching repurcussions in the political and social life of Karnātaka has not been properly traced to its reg igin and this has led to much confusion of thought among the writers on the subject. In order to ascertain the true facts of the matter we have to give due credence to the events as narrated in his Basavarājadēvara Ragale by the poet Harihara who lived at a time not far removed from the age of Basavēśvara and was thus obviously nearer the actual scene.. A perusal of this account reveals that Bijjala's hostility towards Basavēśvara was not due to the alleged circumtance of the former being either a follower or supporter of the Jaina faith. Bijjala, as seen from the above source, was a protagonist of the orthodox form of Brahmanical religion. Basavāśvara, on the contrary, was a reformist directing his assaults against the rigidity of Brahmanical creed and propagating his new liberal cult of equality amongst the devotees of Siva. Enough epigraphical and other evidence is available to prove that Bijjala II, like
1 The sayings of Basavëśvara contain passages testifying to the above statement. The
Brāhmaṇas and their dogmas are criticised severely and inore often in these passages than the Jainas to whom only passing references are made. See for instance the Basavannanavara Shatsthalada Vachanagalu (edited by Basavanal), Nog. 571, 576, 583 and 688 for the criticism levelled against Brahmanism by Basavēs vara. Also compare Ep. Ind., Vol. XXIX, pp. 143 ff. and my lectures on the Kalachuris of Karnataka, Kannada Sahitya Parishat Patrike, Vol. XXXVI, pp. 102 ff.
