Temples of Kumbhariya

Author(s): M A Dhaky, U S Moorty
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 60

The Temples in Kumbhāriyā
Hemacandra's disciples were also very learned. Among them Rāmacandra wrote several plays in Sanskrit on Jaina themes, such as the Nātyadarpana in collaboration with Gunacandra), besides a few other works. The hymns composed by his confrères Bālacandra and Sāgaracandra have also come to light. There were several literary works by the authors of other gacchas, like Jinadatta sūri of Vāyadagaccha etcetera which need not detain us here. However, we may take a brief note on Acārya Malayagiri who flourished in the latter half of the 12th century and was the greatest commentator of that age. He commented on several āgamic works.
As a passing note, it may be mentioned that both Siddharāja and Kumārapāla had visited Satruñjaya-tīrtha: Siddharāja also had bequeathed a grant of 12 villages to the Satruñjaya-tīrtha and had visited Ujjayantagiri. And the Vāghelā regent Vīradhavala gave the grant of village of Ankevāliyā at the request of Vastupāla.
After Kumārapāla, his successor Ajayapāla, who ruled only for three years avenged on those Jainas who had counselled to disinherit him. He, moreover, pulled down several Jaina temples built by Kumārapāla and his supporters. Still some literary activities were going on even in those hard times. Notable among those were the plays Mohaparājaya by Yasacandra and Prabuddha-rohiņeya by Rāmabhadra. And Somaprabhācārya wrote some of his famous works like the Sūktimuktāvali and the Jinadharmapratibodha (A.D. 1184).
The first four decades of the 13th century attested to the decline set in from Ajayapāla's time. While Bhīmadeva II (A.D. 1179-1240) did not patronize Jainism, he was also not against it. It was, next, in the domains of the Vāghelā chief Vīradhavala of Dhavalakakka that the fresh era of glory for Jainism was ushered in, thanks particularly to the munificence of two statesmen, prime minister Vastupāla and his brother, minister Tejapāla. Vastupāla was an erudite connoisseur of Sanskrit literature, himself a poet, as well as patron of poets and builder of many Jaina temples, also some Brahmanical shrines, even mosques in places like Khambhāt, and of course the civic works like stepwells, reservoirs etcetera. He and his brother Tejapāla together had built about 50 Jaina temples, notable among those (built by Vastupāla) were on Mt. Satruñjaya (c. A.D. 1231, all destroyed), Mt. Girnār (Vastupāla-vihāra, A.D. 1232; and Satyapurāvatāra Mahāvīra), Satruñjayāvatāra Adinātha (Dholakā), Astāpada temple (Prabhāsa), Asarāja-vihāra (Anahillapāțaka) and also a temple in Khambhāt, Cittaud (now used as Samiddheśvara temple), and in several other places. Tejapāla founded the Nandīśvara temple and built the reservoir