Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 7

Author(s): Nand Kishor Prasad
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

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Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin No. 7
object of accomplishing what is known as Samadhimarana (peaceful passing away), or Sanyāsamarana (the wise man's demise), which is the ambition of every pious person. According to Jaina mythology, Sallekhana is nothing but a wise rightous and planned preparation for the inevitable death, because the manner how one meets his end often determines the nature and prospects of his life and death. We also know from the Jammala madugu Kaifiyatthat the original name of the village Danavalapādu was Kurumaili. The village acquired the present name is Danavulapādu which means the residence of Dānavas. Those are the Rāstrakūtas or Demons.
The other kings of this dynasty like Govinda III and Govinda IV were influenced by Jaina tenets. For instance, Kadaba copper plate grant dated S. 7358, says that the king Prabhūtavarşa or Govinda III, at the request of one Châkirāja, granted the village of Jalamangaļa to a Jaina monk, Arkakirthin on behalf of the Jainālaya at Salagrāma. Further, it is obvious from the Hala haravi inscription dated $. 8544 that during the reign of the Rāstrakūta king Nityavarşa or Govinda IV, Chāndıyabbe, the wife of his vessal Kannaramalla, constructed a basadi in Nandavāra and endowed with land and three gold gādyānas.
Krishna III, the later king of the Rāstrakūta dynasty and his vassals the Vemulavāda Chāļuk yas were patrons of Jaina Scholarships. The court of Krishna III at Mānyakheta was adorned by scholars and poets that migrated from Andhra. His minister Gajānakūsa was a poet of great reputation.5 Ponna or Ponnamayya, the author of the famous Santipurāņa and Jainākşaramala in Kannada lived at his court and was given the birudu of Abhayakavi Chakravartin.6 According to G. S. Dikshit, Ponna went to Mānyakheta from Panganūr7 in Kammanāļu or Guntür district. He is also believed to have written Adi purana in Telugu. According to N. Venkata Rao, he is even said to have translated Visātapurana from the Mahabharata into Telugu. 8 Owing to lack of extant literature, this suggestion still remains a conjucture.
1. 2.
J. P. Jain, Religion and Culture of the Jains, pp. 97-99. 1A, 1, p. 209. EI, IV, p. 340. SII, IX, pt. 1, No. 62. Salotgi pillar inscription, EI No. 6. Kavicharite, 1, pp. 40-41. Vengi and Karnataka, PIHE, 1953, pp. 151-153. Lives of Telugu Poets, p. 87.
5. 6. 7. 8.