Jinamanjari 1999 09 No 20

Author(s): Jinamanjari
Publisher: Canada Bramhi Jain Society Publication

Page 56

Jinamañjari, Volume 20, No.2, October 1999
AJILA KINGS OF VENŪR N. Maniratnakumari, Mudabidre, India
Veņūr, which is situated along the coastal area of Karnataka in southern India, is a well known Jain shrine. It is about 55 km east of Mangalore; 13 km east of Guruvayanakere, and 20 km west of Mudbidre ("History of Venur" by Mahavir Shastri in Prakrit Vidya, p.78, Jan-Mar 1998, New Delhi).
The Ajila kings ruled Veņūr for 632 years (1154 -1786 C.E.), and because of this, there are eight ancient Jain temples in the area. From historical point, the statue of Bahubali and the temple dedicated to Shanti matha are very important (Prakrit Vidya, Ibid, p.78).
Veņūr was an independent kingdom ruled by seventeen Ajila kings. Among them, Timmanna Ajila IV was perhaps the most famous and his reign is considered as a golden era of the Ajilas. He came to the throne on the Vaisak sukla Panchami day in 1472 viz. 1500 C.E. and ruled to 1610. He had three queens, namely Pandyakkadevi, Mallidevi and Vinnanadevi (PK,79).
As well, he commissioned the famous sculptor Shambhukutti to create the statue of Bahubali. When the Pandya king of Karkala went to battle against Ajila in order to stop the installation of the statue, Timmanna sent his commander, Kantu Saminna of Naravi. The Bahubali statue was consecrated on Thursday, in the Phalguna Shukla Dashami Salivahana year 1525 which corresponds to 1 March 1604 C.E. (PK, 80).
Some Brief Notes on the Ajilas
The Tulu region which is situated in the western coast of modern Karnataka has its historic records as far back as the twelfth century C.E. There were several ruling dynasties in the Tulu country, and a few of them were great Jain patrons and followed Jainism. Among these Jain kingdoms, the Ajilas of Veņūr, the Bangas of Bangvādi, the Bhairavas of Kārkala, the Cautas of Mudabidre, the Mūlas of Bailangadi, the Sāvantas of Mulki and the Tõlas of Sūrāla were both prominent and important rulers of Țulu country ( their descendants still live in these respective locales).
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