Later Gangas Mandali Thousand

Author(s): Nagarajaiah Hampa
Publisher: Ankita Pustak

Page 98

Society and Religions / 55
As I have worked out the statistics and distribution of the Rāştrakūța inscriptions; out of 516 charters, 340 are in Kannaựa language, 90 are in Sanskrit, 104 are in Tamil, 7 are in Telugu and only one in Marāthi; and out of the 90 Sanskrit charters, 19 are bilingual of which 17 are in Sanskrit and Kannada. This predominence of Kannada was also due to the power exerted by the Gangas; more and more matrimonial alliances also cemented the process.
Jainism became the principal faith throughout the regime of the Mandali-Thousand kings, who continued to flourish one after another under the patronage of their imperials. The ascetics of the Nirgrantha order were the preceptors who guided and inspired the mahāmandalesvaras to rule with respect and honour to all castes and creeds, to worship all gods. An exhaustive list of the rulers, preceptors, temples, the donors and the donee is recorded in some of the charters. Perggade Nokkayya : a pole star
Mahāmandalesvaras of the Mandalinād used to pay visits to different places and temples under the rule. On one such occasion in C.E. 1085, Ganga Permmāờideva paid a visit to Tattekere, where the main minister and senior perggade, a man of high rank, Nokkayya was living with his two consorts and two sons. During his visit, the king was pleased with his minister, to find and learn that Nokkayya and the members of the family were devoted to the state and to the service of the people, even in their adverseries. Overwhelved by his feelings of warmth, the king gifted Nokkayya, the whole revenue of Tattekere, an important centre of the MandaliThousand.
An incident of taking exception to the construction of a basadi near the big tank of the village is also reported. Gujjaņa, elder son of minister Nokkayya, opposed the idea of erecting temple near the huge tank of Tattikere by his father. But the untimely demise of Gujjaņa made the family suffer a set back. To commemorate the death of his son, the senior perggade Nokkayya built two more basadis, one each at Harige and Nellavatti, the modern Nyāmati