Jinamanjari 2000 04 No 21

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

Page 27

An epigraph at Sravaņabelgoļa has framed her picture with silver lining of extoling her virtues in the following words:
Santaladēvi was a rampart to the Jaina faith, delighting in the narration of stories related to Jainism, taking pleasure in gifts of food, shelter, medicine and learning, pure in Jaina faith, kind to the blessed, having the head purified by the fragrant water of Jina.
After the celebrated dānacintāmani Attimabbe, it is the illustrious śāntale who has been the cream of Jaina culture in the history of Karnataka.
Acaladēvi alias Āciyakka, was consort of Candramouli, a Saiva minister. In matters of religion, women had freedom is something commendable. She was a disciple of Nayakirtideva. Having her faith in the glorious Jina, caused to be made a fine temple for the Pārsvanātha at Sravanabelgoļa King Vira-Ballāļa granted a village for the maintenance of the temple.
After Vira Ballāļa, Jainism witnessed a general trend of more encouragement offered to Vaisnavas and Saivas.
One of the important phenomena of the Hoysaļa times was liberal patronization of Jaina literature by the cultured aristocracy. The period is noteworthy for the rich crop of Kannada literary works, secular as well as religious. Mallikarjuna, Janna and Kesirāja belonged to a Jaina family of scholar authors, holding many distinguished titles. They adorned the court of Hoysaļas and were credited with the compositions of academic excellence.
Mallikārjuna compiled Sūuktishudhārņva an anthology of several hundred stanzas selected from many early classics grouped them under 18 categories. This work contains some rare verses from unknown sources. Thus he is the first editor of old Kannada classics, and the earliest author to quote stanzas from inscriptions. His son, Janna of the Hoysaļa court is decidedly the best writer of the Hoysaāa kingdom. He has authored three long epigraphs of historical importance, all are of non-Jaina nature. His Anantanāthapurāņa is a long poem in campu style, narrating the biography of the 14th Tirthankara. But his master piece is decidedly Yasodhara carite, based on Vādirāja's Sanskrit work with the same title. In recognition of his substantial contribution to the religious dogmas and philosophy of the Jaina school of thought, king Ballāļa-II had honored him with the title of 'kauicakravarti' (poet emperor),
Kesirāja, cousin of Janna, wrote Sabdamaņi-Darpaņa, a masterly treatise on grammar, based on Sabdasmrti. of Nāgavarma. Rājāditya is credited with a number of mathematical works and is the second Jaina writer to take up writing on that subject after Mahāvirācārya. Jagaddaļa Somanātha translated KalyāņaKāraka, a Sanskrit work of Ugrāditya.
Many monks and nuns of eminence flourished in the kingdom at various Jaina monasteries - Śravaņabļgoļa, Muļgunda, Kanakagiri-Tirtha, Hombuja, Lakkundi, Bankāpura, Aņpigere, Puligere, and Koppaļa. Prabhācandra, Māghaṇandi, Mēghacandra, Nayakirti, Subhacandra, Sripāla Traividyādēva and other renowned ācāryas adorned the period with their spiritual counsel. Under their guidance, many Jaina seats were recovered and revived. Many new Jinālayas were commissioned in a number of centers and the old ones were renovated. Hoysaļa kings and their feudal tenants founded Jaina shrines and
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