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Sallekhanā in Practice
49
pañca-paramesthis and went to heaven. The greatness of his religious conduct has been described thus : " while walking, he did not swing his arms, he did not walk without looking before him to the length of a yoke, he never touched women and gold, he never spoke rough words, he was ever alert night and day, never uttered boastful words and never fell into the mesh of ignorance." The Jainas of the royal city of Dorasamudra made his image and of the panca-parameşthis.
Dorasamudra was the famous capital of Hoysala rulers and it was a stronghold of Jainas. It was during the reign of Ballāļa II that a Jaina merchant by name Nemisetti died adopting the vow of Sallekhanā. His guru was Nayakīrti who figures in many of the Hoysaļa records. He was “an emperor of philosophy" and was superior to many other Gurus."
There are some inscriptions near the Jaina temple at HireAvali in Sorab Taluka of Shimoga District. In the 23rd year of the reign of Yadava Narayana, Praudha Pratāpa Cakravarti Rāmacandra, Avali Kalagauda expired by samnyásana and reached salvation. He was the lay disciple of Devanandideva of the Śrī-Mūla Sangha of Kundakunda. Unfortunately, the name of the lay disciple of Siddhāntadeva who died by adopting the vow of samnyāsana is erased. The event took place in 1295 A. D. during the reign of Abhinava Bukka Rāya.8
There is another record at the same place relating to the death of Cholayā by Sallekhanā during the reign of Rāmadeva on the 4th day of the bright half of Bhadrapada Viksti Samvatsara (1290 A. D.). This Cholaya was the disciple of Maladhāri-deva.. The next stone records the death of Kallagauda by Sallekhanā and his attainment of the heavenly abode on the 13th day of the dark half of Bhādrapada of Durmukhi Samvatsara (1296 A. D.). This was during the reign of Koti Nayaka who was the mandaļika. Kallagauda was the disciple 6. Ibid., Vol. V, Ins. 134.
8. Ibid.; Vol. VIII, Ins. 101. 7. Ibid., Vol. V, Ins. 134.
9. Ibid., Vol. VIII, Ins. 113. S-7
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