Some Historical Jaina Kings and Heros

Author(s): Kamtaprasad Jain
Publisher: Jain Mitra Mandal

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do ? Seeing his prowess, the Muni pati (Simhanandi), made a coronet of the petals of the Karani kara, bound it on his head blessing him, casting grains across his head to ward off evil and appointing his feather whisk as an emblem and design for his banner."
It seems that there was a considerable Jaina element in the population of Gangavadi, who accepted the converted princes as their monarch at the instance of their influential Guru Simhanandi. The saint also gave the brothers the following advice:-"If you fail in what you promise, if you descend from the Jaina Shasana, if you take the wives of others, if you become addicted to liquors or flesh, if you associate with the base, if you give not to the needy, if you flee in battle - your race will go to ruin." Having accepted with bowed heads the above counsel and the given kingdom, "with the lofty Nardgiri as their fortress, Kuvalal as their capital, Nintysix Thousand (Gangavadi) as their country and with the blameless Jina as their lord, Victory as their campanion on the battlefield, the Jinamata as their faith and with ever increasing greatness, the Kings Didiga and Madhava ruled over the earth."
Didiga, who was also called Kongunivarma came ta be known as the founder of the dynasty. As a king he had to encounter at the very outset the