Mahavira and his Teaching

Author(s): C C Shah, Rishabhdas Ranka, Dalsukh Malvania
Publisher: Bhagwan Mahavir 2500th Nirvan Mahotsava Samiti

Page 296

PATRONAGE TO JAINISM BY THE SILAHĀRAS OF KOLHAPUR 289
at Irukudi by Gandarāditya. He built another temple of the Jaina Tīrthankara Neminātha at Ājurikā (modern Ajre, the chief town of a mahāl of the same name in the Kolhāpur District), and named it Tribhuvanatılaka, which was one of his own burudas. This is explicitly mentioned in the grammatical work Šabdārnavacandrikā of Somadeva, who was a contemporary of the last king Bhoja II of the Kolhāpur branch.1
Several other Jaina temples erected at different places in the Silāhāra kingdom find mention in the records of the age. Thus, there was a temple of Pārsvanātha at the village HāvinaHeriļige (modern Herle), which was built by one Vasudeva, the Hadapavala (betel-box carrier) of Samanta Kāmadeva, who owed allegiance to the Silāhāra king Vijayāditya.2 Another temple of Pārsvanātha was at Mandalura (modern Maďur in the Bhudargad tālukā of the Kolhāpur District). At the request of his maternal uncle Samanta Lakşmaņa, king Vijayāditya granted some land to the disciple Arhannadi Siddhāntadeva of Māghanandí Saiddhāntika, who officiated as the pontiff of the temple.3 A third temple of Pārsvanātha was at Kavadegolla, built by Nimbadevarasa, a Samanta of Gaņdarāditya. It received several donations of rates and taxes from the famous merchant-guild of the age, viz., the Vīra-Baņañjas of Ayyavoļe (modern Aihole in the Bijapur District).*
Nimbadevarasa was a brave Samanta of the Silāhāra king Gandarāditya. He took part in the latter's campaigns against the Cholas. He is, therefore, described as 'an awful rutting elephant to the beds of lotuses, the barons of Tondai'. He was 1. See statesti del radicafofilHETFATAUfoorraa TheT40502T-status
रादित्यदेवनिर्मापितत्रिभुवनतिलकजिनालये . . .। 2. Ep. Ind , Vol. III, pp. 207 f.
Ibid., Vol. III, pp. 211f. He is probably identical with the minister (Mantrin), Lakşmaņa who patronised Karņapārya, the author of the
Nemināthapurāna. 4. Ep. Ind., Vol. XIX, pp. 30 f. 5. Loc. cit. M.M.-37