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(817-828 AD) founded Jaina caves at Vallimallai in North Arcot District of Madras state and his son Nitimarga I was a great Jaina.
The story of Bahubali's renunciation and deep penance has received adequate emphasis at the hands of a very appreciative Jaina world which has given him and his ideas immortality by fashioning out of living rock a colossal statue of him in the manner that he stood out for the cause of renunciation, devotion, nonviolence and supreme bliss The statue is silhoutted against a background of vastness, achievement and mystic ecstacy and a foreground of time, distance, devotion and eternity Though similar colossal statues of Bahubali are also hewn out of the living rock at two other places, Karkal and Venur in South India, the one in Sravan Belgola is easily the best being the most attractive
The history of Bahubali's statue takes us to the very interesting history of Jainism in South India. According to a Jaina tradition duly recorded in the inscriptions at Sravana Belgola, Bhadrabhu I, who was the last Sruta-kevali, led the Northern Jainas, 12000 in number to South India in the time of the Maurya Emperor Chandragupta Chandragupta is said to have joined the migrating party. The date of this migration is, as Prof Jacobi has estimated, probably a few years before 297 BC Bhadrabahu I died on the way at Chandragiri hill before he could complete the migration The importance of this migration is due to the
