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CHALUKYAS AND JAINISM.
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and Jainism.
of the east of the Peninsula and burst with terrific force on the Gangas who, along with the Eastern Chalukyas and Rāshtrakūtas,were swept away by king Rājarājadēva I and his successor. Thus fell, in the ninth century A.D., an important South Indian Jain state, a prey to the militant Cholas.
The Jain religion seems to have enjoyed con- Chalukyas siderable patronage at the hands of the early Chalukyas. Pulakēsin II patronised a certain poet, Jain Ravikīrti. Vinayāditya, the eighth in succession from Jayasimha of the early Chalukyas, 'had for his spiritual adviser Niravadya Pandita. We also learn from an inscription that Vikramāditya II after repairing a Jain temple gave a grant in connection with it to the great disputant, Vijayapandita. But the Chalukyas were tolerant towards other religions, as is evident from the large number of temples built during this period in honour of the Puranic Triad-- Brahma, Vishnu and Mahēswara. Nevertheless, Jainism was just then rising to predominance during the time of the Rāshtrakūtas, as will be mentioned presently.
Thats Jainism was largely prevalent among Răshtrakūtas the Rāshtrakūtas and that it was the professed patronise creed of many kings are evident, as a good many extant Digambara works were composed during their sway. Thus, the Harivamsa of the Digambara Jains is stated to have been composed by
Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. I, Indian Analquery, Vol. VII, Part 2, p. 191.
p. 197. • Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. I, Part 2, p. 208.
