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The Preceptors / 87
Virasena ācārya, a royal teacher to both Jagattunga and Nțupatunga, kings of the Rāştrakūta dynasty, wrote Dhavalā-Tikā, a commentary of 72 thousand verses, using both Prakrit and Sanskrit languages, in A.D. 816.
Bhujabala Ganga Permmāạideva-I's consort Bācaladevi had constructed a beautiful Caityālaya at Bannikere, which had gained more importance, because of the Pāraśvanātha temple, the best of temples in the celebrated Mandalinād. Subhacandradeva Munipa, a pupil of Maladhārideva yamina [EC. 11(R) 484 (351) C.E. 1119], who was a moon to the ocean of Mūlasangha, Desigagana, was the chief preceptor of Bannikere caityālaya. He had mastered āgama literature and had the cognomen Siddāntaratnākara. Once he wanted to read the Dhavala-Tikā to teach his pupil but the palm-leaf text was not there in the Stabhandāra of the Caityālaya. Devamati alias Rati-Deviyakka, mother-in-law of the Mandalinād ruler Bhujabala Ganga Permmādi, who was a lady-votary of the ascetic śubhacandra Siddhāntadeva, had camped at Bannikere Jina Pārsva Caityālaya, for the ceremony of concluding the religious observance of Śruta-pancamí vrata. Knowing the need and excellence of Dhavala-Tikā, Deviyakka immediately arranged for copying the text. Because of the timely action of Deviyakka, a copy of Virasena ācārya's Dhavalāļikā was made available, not only to her revered guru śubhacandra Siddhāntadeva but the whole world, because that is the one and only copy available to this day.
Deviyakka (Devamati, Demati, Ratidevi, Devamati), daughter of Nāgale, sister of both Dandanāyakitti Lakkale (wife of general Gangaraja) and Būcirāja, was wife of Cāmunda, a royal merchant. She has been compared to Sita, Laksmi and to Śāsanadevata, attendent goddess of Jina, the agent in giving protection to the supreme Jaina faith. Demavati, liberal in giving food to the people, refuge to the frightened, good medicine to those rendered miserable by disease, and science and the āgamas (scriptural knowledge) to those desirous of learning them. Demavati, at the close of her life, fixed her mind on the Arhat, according to the prescribed rites for all lay votaries, observed
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