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THE ANEKĀNTAMATA IN THE EMPIRE 347 thus created is highly praised in the record as a mast to the great ship the dharma, and a rod for the umbrella the pure dharma. It was constructed on the instruction of Abhinava Samantabhadramuni.1
Great credit must be given to the endeavours of Ambavana Sreşthi and the other commercial leaders, who tried to stabilize the prestige of the Jina dharma in this age. We can only imagine that there must have been keen rivalry between these patrons of Jainism and the champions of Vaişņavism like Giriyaņa setti and Vaduga Tammappa Senabova, who in A.D. 1562 and A.D. 1598 respectively had constructed the Hanumanteśvara and Tiruvangaļanātha temples, the former on Govardhanagiri itself and the latter in Gērasoppe. These two Hindu leaders lived in the reign of the next Gērasoppe ruler the queen Säluva Cenna Bhairādeviyamma, who is called in one of the records a Mahāmandalesvara, and who permitted the Tiruvangaļanātha temple to be built in her name.2
That the Jaina magnates of Gērasoppe were very influential in the middle of the sixteenth century, can be determined from the reference made to their generosity in the inscriptions at Sravana Belgoļa. Indeed, this contact between Gērasoppe and Sravana Belgoļa seems to have been established in early days as well. For instance, in about A.D. 1412 Gummațaņa, the disciple of Hiriya Ayya of Gērasoppe, paid a visit to Gummațanātha at śravana Belgoļa, and repaired the stone work of the Cikka basti or the smaller hill, the three bastis, at the north gate, and the Mangāyi bastiin all five bastis, and made a gift of food to one group which
1. E. C. VIII. Sa. 55, pp. 100-102. 2. Ibid, Sa. 57, p. 102 ; M. A. R. for 1928, pp. 102, 108,
