Introductory CHAPTER I
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Introductory CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY Jainism is one of the oldest religious systems of India to have survived until the present times Humacha is one of the important Jaina sacred place and famous Jaina Shrine. Humacha at present is a small town located in the Nagar Taluka in the Shimoga district of Karnataka state. But once Humacha occupied unique place in the history of Jainism because it was the centre of Jaina culture from 8th to 12th centuries A.D. The King Jinadatta, one of the ruler of the Santara dynasty, made Humacha as his capital and built palaces, offices, lakes, Jain temples and Matha etc. It is a holy place, which is visited by lakhs of devotees throughout the year. According to a local legend, Jinadatta who had come from North Mathura and settled here. He had converted iron into gold by the touch of the golden statue of goddess Padmavathi. He had brought with the result, got enormous wealth by which he constructed this town, temple for Devi Padmavati & ruled from this town. Even today number of Jaina people visit every year to Humacha for seeking blessing from goddess Padmavathi. At Humacha there are so many fine and beautiful Jaina temples. The temple of Padmavathi is a main attraction to the Jaina followers. Besides this Humacha is also one of the seat of Shri Devendrakeerti Bhattaraka Swamiji. Historians also like this place because there are so many old historical monuments and inscriptions belonging to the century onwards. The Santara dynasty ruled from Humacha in the 8th to 1 12th century and issued. Some religious grants to various temples located at Humacha. More than 22 old inscriptions are available for the study of research. These inscriptions are inscribed on either on the stone of the walls of the temple or on the pillars that are erected in the front of the temples. These inscriptions itself speak about the past glory of Humacha city and Santara dynasty. At Hamucha there is a well known Jaina Matha which was established, centuries ago by monks belonging to the Nandi Sangha of Shri Kunda-Kundanvaya. Swamiji of the Matha is called as Sri Devendra Keerti Bhattaraka. The matha maintains (1) Parshwanatha temple (2) Padmavathi temple (3) Matada basadi (4) Bogara basadi and (5) Jattingaraya basadi, etc. The image of the Goddess Padmavathi is in seated figure and having four hands with Ankusha, Pashadhari and AbhayaMudra. Therefore an attempt has been made in this work to study the history of Humacha town as a centre of Jaina culture. There are 22 inscriptions in and around the Humacha which throws some light on the socio-economic, political and religious conditions of this part of Karnataka in ancient period. There are many Jain monuments scattered all over the Karnataka state preserving many inscriptional evidences useful for reconstruction the history of Jainas in ancient days. This work entitled “A study of Jainism in Ancient Karnataka with special reference to Humacha,” is a worth attempting M.Phil dissertation. 2 Jainism is one of the leading and indigenous religion like Hinduism and Buddhism. Religion is a mode of worship or kind of worship. Religion played important role in the life of every man. Jainism was founded in north India prior to 6th century B.C. First in Bihar, i.e., North India but now-a-days Karnataka becomes the second home of Jainism. How Jainism was spread from North India to South India is a story of great interest and fascinating one. Therefore in this introductory chapter a brief survey of Jainism from 6th century B.C. to 8th century A.D. has been taken as well as the spread of Jainism from North India to South India. JAINISM: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Jainism is a monastic religion which, like Buddhism, denies the authority of the Veda and is therefore regarded by the Brahmins as heretical. The Jain church consists of the monastic order and the lay community.’ Jain religion is so important religion in India from ancient period and it is also independent religion. It was flourishing in India when Lord Gautam Buddha founded new religion. According to Jaina tradition, the religion is eternal having been revealed repeatedly by as many 24 Tirthankaras. The first Tirthanakara was Lord Risbha and the 24th and last one was the Lord Vardhamana Mahavira.12 According to Jaina literature the first Tirthankara Lord Rishabha Alias Adinatha was the founder of Jain religion but not the Mahavira.3 Lord Prashavanatha was the 23 rd Tirthankara of Jainas and the people worship this Tirthankara in 8th century B.C. and also the parents of Mahavira, father Sidhartha 1 James Hasting (Editor): Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, Vol. VII, Hymns - Liberty p.465. 2 G. A. Ghosh (Editor): Jaina Art and Architecture Vol. I. p.14. 1 Sangave (Dr.) V. A.: Jaina Community - A Social Survey: Bombay, 1959, p.359. 3 and mother Trishala were the followers of Lord Parashava, some monuments of Tirlhankaras like Adinatha, Parshva found in Uttar Bharat especially in Magadha and Vaishali. It proves that the Jain religion was present before the Lord Mahavira. All ancient sculptures and Jainas of all the sects accepted, this is a well established fact, the Lord Rishabha alias Adinatha had a son who is known as the Bharat and after name of Bharata this country known as Bharatavarsha or Bharat.4 Moreover, the history of Jainism before Lord Mahavira is shrouded in considerable obscurity. Materials which can reconstruct it are scanty, dubious and capable of different interpretations. Scholars have, therefore, come to widely divergent conclusions. The Jainas themselves believe that their religion is eternal and that before Mahavira (600 B.C.), there lived twenty three Tirthcmkaras who appeared at certain intervals to propagate true religion for the salvation of the world. Some scholars hold that, there are so many traces of the existence of Sramana culture even in pre-Vedic times. H. Jacob tried to prove both forms of the Buddhist and the Jaina records that Parsvanatha, the immediate predecessor of Mahavira, who is said to have flourished some 250 years before him, is a historical personality.5 VARDHAMANA MAHAVIRA: LIFE AND WORK. Mahavira was a Kshatrtya of the Jaina clan and a native of Kundagrama, a suburb of the town Vaisali (the modem Basarii, some 27 miles north of Patna). He was the second son the Kshatriya King Siddhartha and Trisala, a highly connected lady. The A Sangavc (Dr.) V.A.: Op.Cit. p.360. 5 Jain. K.C.: Lord Mahavira and His times (Delhi, 1974), p.l. 4 Svetambaras maintained and stated in the Acharanga sutra, the Kalpasutra, etc. that the soul of the Mahavira Trithankara first descended into the womb of the Brahmani Devananda, and was by the order to Indra, removed thence to the womb of Trisala. But the Digambaras reject this story. Mahavir’s parents who were Jains and worshippers of Parsva, gave him the name Vardhamana (Vira or Mahavira is a epithet used as a name Arhat, Bhagavat, Jina etc. are titles common to all Tirthankaras). He married Yasodha and by her had daughter Annojja. His parents died when he was 30 years old, and his elder brother Nandivardhana succeeded his father in whatever position he had held, with the permission of his brother and the other authorities, he carried out a long - cherished resolve and became a monk with the usual Jain rites. Then followed 12 years of self mortification, Mahavira wandered about as a mendi friar, bearing all kinds of hardship, after the first 13 months he even discarded clothes. At the end of this period dedicated to meditation, he reached the state of Omniscience (Kevala) corresponding to the Bohi of the Buddhists. He lived for 42 years more preaching the law and instructing his 11 disciples (Ganadhara). In the 72“* year of his life he died at Pava and reached Nirvana* (Moksha.) This event took place, as stated above some years before Buddha’s death, and may, therefore, be placed about 480 B.C. The Svetambaras, however, place the Nirvana of Mahavira, which is the initial point of their era, 470 years before the beginning of the Vikrama era, or in 527. The Digamabaras place the same event 18 years later.7 6 James Hastings: Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics Vol. VII, Hymns - Liberty pp.466-467. 1 Ibid, p.467. 5 i Thus after Parsvanatha, Mahavira became the leader of the Jaina church. The religion preached by Mahavira was substantially the same as preached by his predecessor Parsvanatha. It is said that Mahavira added ‘Brahmacharya' (i.e., chastity) perhaps already included in Aparigraha as the fifth great vow to the four great vows, already preached by Parsvanatha. Mahavira continued further the practice of four-fold divisions of the community and it is stated that at the time of his death there were 1400 Yatis, 36,000 Sadhvis, 1,59,000 Sravakas and 3,18,000 Sravikas. Mahavira had in all eleven Gatmdharas. They were all religious teachers well-versed in Jaina scriptures. After the Nirvana of Mahavira, the fifth Gandhara Sudharman became the head of the Jaina church, others either having attained salvation or ‘Kevalinship ’ (i.e., Omniscience) before the death of Mahavira. Sudharman is said to have narrated the Jaina canon to his disciple Jambuswami in the manner that he had heard from his master. The Nigranlha Sramanas of the present time are all spiritual descendants of the monk Arya Sudharman, the rest of the Ganadharas having left no descendants.8 COUNCIL OF PATALIPUTRA: The religious teaching of Mahavira were memorised by his immediate successors and they were thus handed down from one generation to another till they were canonised at the council of Pataliputra in the early part of the 3rd century B.C.