A report on Karnataka and Jainism

The hand symbolizes Ahiṃsā, the wheel dharmachakra, the resolve to halt saṃsāra (transmigration).

Mallikarjuna temple and Kashi Vishwanatha temple at Pattadakal, built successively by the kings of the Chalukya Empire and Rashtrakuta Empire, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Classification of Saṃsāri Jīvas (transmigrating souls) in Jainism

Chief Minister Dr. Devaraj Urs announcing the new name of the Mysore state as 'Karnataka'

Lord Neminatha, Akota Bronzes (7th century)

Jog Falls, formed by Sharavathi River, are the second-highest plunge waterfalls in India.

Jain miniature painting of 24 tirthankaras, Jaipur, c. 1850

Political map of Indian state of Karnataka with the official names of its 31 districts.

Jain temple painting explaining Anekantavada with Blind men and an elephant

A Jain monk in meditation, wearing the characteristic white robe and face covering

Nishidhi stone, depicting the vow of sallekhana, 14th century, Karnataka

Infosys, a Bengaluru-headquartered information-technology company,

Praying at the feet of a statue of Bahubali

Jain worship may include ritual offerings and recitals.

Vishnu image inside the Badami Cave Temple Complex number 3. The complex is an example of Indian rock-cut architecture.

Celebrating Das Lakshana (Paryushana), Jain Center of America, New York City

Gomateswara (982–983) at Shravanabelagola is an important centre of Jain pilgrimage.

The birth of Mahavira, from the Kalpa Sūtra (c.1375–1400 CE)

Halmidi inscription (450 CE) is the earliest attested inscription in the Kannada language.

Indian Institute of Science is one of the premier institutes of India.

A symbol to represent the Jain community was chosen in 1975 as part of the commemoration of the 2,500th anniversary of Mahavira’s nirvana.

Anil Kumble, former captain of the Indian Test team and spin legend, is the highest wicket-taker for India in international cricket.

Rishabhdev, believed to have lived over 592.704×1018 years ago, is considered the traditional founder of Jainism.

The ruins of Gori Jain temples in Nagarparkar, Pakistan, a pilgrimage site before 1947.

Bengal tigers at Bannerghatta National Park near Bangalore

Chennakesava Temple is a model example of the Hoysala architecture, later repaired in the 16th century with financial support and grants by the Vijayanagara Emperors.

Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur has the second largest pre-modern dome in the world after the Byzantine Hagia Sophia.

Mysore Palace in the evening, the official residence and seat of the Wodeyar dynasty, the rulers of Mysore of the Mysore Kingdom, the royal family of Mysore.

Saavira Kambada Basadi, Moodbidri, Karnataka

The Jain philosophy and literature have contributed immensely to the religious and cultural landscape of Karnataka.

- Karnataka

A monolithic, 18 m statue of Bahubali, Gommateshvara, built in 981 CE by the Ganga minister and commander Chavundaraya, is situated on a hilltop in Shravanabelagola in Karnataka.

- Jainism

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Western Ganga dynasty

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Old Kannada inscription of c. 726 CE, discovered in Talakad, from the rule of King Shivamara I or Sripurusha

Ganga Dynasty emblem on a 10th-century copper plate

The Panchakuta Basadi, Kambadahalli was an important center of Jainism during the Ganga period.

Gangas of Talakad (Western Gangas). Circa 1080-1138 AD

A mantapa (hall) at the Jain Panchakuta basadi of 9th–10th century at Kambadahalli

Gommateshwara at Shravanabelagola (982–983) C.E.

Kalleshwara Temple Complex, built in the 10th century by the Nolambas, a Western Ganga feudatory, at Aralaguppe in the Tumkur district

Hero stone (870–906 A.D.) with old Kannada inscription at Kalleshvara temple in Aralaguppe

The famous Atakur inscription (949 C.E.), a classical Kannada composition pertaining to the Western Ganga-Rashtrakuta victory over the Chola dynasty of Tanjore in the famous battle of Takkolam

Mahasthambha (pillar) and Chandragupta Basadi at Chandragiri Hill in Shravanabelagola

Chandragiri hill temple complex at Shravanabelagola

Ceiling sculpture, Panchakuta Basadi, Kambadahalli

Chavundaraya basadi on Chandragiri hill in Shravanabelagola temple complex

Old Kannada inscription at the base of Gomateshwara monolith in Shravanabelagola (981 CE.)

The famous Begur inscription in old Kannada, dated to c. 908–938 CE, from the rule of Western Ganga dynasty King Ereyappa.

Western Ganga was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India which lasted from about 350 to 1000 CE.

The Western Ganga kings showed benevolent tolerance to all faiths but are most famous for their patronage toward Jainism resulting in the construction of monuments in places such as Shravanabelagola and Kambadahalli.

Rashtrakuta dynasty

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Rashtrakuta (IAST: ) (r.

Kashivishvanatha temple at Pattadakal, Karnataka

Jain Narayana temple at Pattadakal, Karnataka

A stanza from the 9th century Kannada classic Kavirajamarga, praising the people for their literary skills

Kailasa temple, is one of the largest rock-cut ancient Hindu temples located in Ellora.

The Elichpur clan was a feudatory of the Badami Chalukyas, and during the rule of Dantidurga, it overthrew Chalukya Kirtivarman II and went on to build an empire with the Gulbarga region in modern Karnataka as its base.

The early kings of this dynasty were influenced by Hinduism and the later kings by Jainism.

Shravanabelagola

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The pond in the middle of the town, after which it is named, Beḷagoḷa “White Pond”

Statue of Emperor Bharata Chakravartin, after whom India was named Bharatvarsha.

Mahamastakabhisheka of Gommateshwara statue

The tableau of Karnataka depicting Mahamastabhisheka of Lord Gommateshwara, during the Republic Day Parade in 2005

Shravanabelagola is a town located near Channarayapatna of Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is 144 km from Bengaluru.

The Gommateshwara Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important tirthas (pilgrimage destinations) in Jainism, one that reached a peak in architectural and sculptural activity under the patronage of Western Ganga dynasty of Talakad.

Extent of Badami Chalukya Empire, 636 CE, 740 CE.

Chalukya dynasty

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Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries.

Old Kannada inscription of Chalukya King Mangalesha dated 578 CE at Badami cave temple no.3

Old Kannada inscription on victory pillar, Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal, 733–745 CE

Coinage of the Chalukyas of Badami. Uncertain ruler. Circa 597-757 CE. Boar and Temple type.

Virupaksha temple in Dravidian style at Pattadakal, built 740 CE

Poetry on stone at the Meguti temple (Aihole inscription) dated 634 CE, in Sanskrit language and old Kannada script, with a Kannada language endorsement of about the same date at the bottom.

Vaishnava Cave temple No. 3 at Badami, 578 CE

Bahubali at Jain Cave temple No. 4 at Badami, 6th century

Bhutanatha group of temples facing the Badami tank

The Parvati Temple, located about 140 km southeast to the Badami

Mallikarjuna temple in dravidian style and Kashi Vishwanatha temple in nagara style at Pattadakal, built 740 CE

Papanatha temple at Pattadakal – fusion of southern and northern Indian styles, 680 CE

The rule of the Chalukyas marks an important milestone in the history of South India and a golden age in the history of Karnataka.

Kannada literature, which had enjoyed royal support in the 9th century Rashtrakuta court found eager patronage from the Western Chalukyas in the Jain and Veerashaiva traditions.

Pattadakal

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Ardhanarishvara (left half Shiva, right half Parvati) at the Kadasiddheswara temple.

The Nataraja sukanasa on Jambulingeshwara temple spire.

Kashi Vishwanatha temple with Nandi facing the sanctum.

A Virupaksha frieze showing two Panchatantra fables.

Pattadakal, also called Paṭṭadakallu or Raktapura, is a complex of 7th and 8th century CE Hindu and Jain temples in northern Karnataka (India).

The 65 ft high Gommateshwara statue at Shravanabelagola, Karnataka, India, was built in 983 A.D.

Bahubali

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Sculpture depicting Bahubali's meditation in Kayotsarga posture with vines enveloped around his body (Photo: Badami caves)

Bahubali monolith of Gommatagiri, Mysore

28 ft-high monolith of Bahubali at Kumbhoj

Bahubali, Metropolitan Museum of Art (6th CE)

Miniature version of the Gommateshwara statue at Shravanabelagola

Bahubali statue at YSR state Archaeology Museum, Hyderabad, 12th century

{{convert|31|ft|m|adj=on|abbr=out}} statue of Bahubali at Bada Gaon

Gomateshwara at Kalugumalai Jain Beds, 8th century

Bahubali at Andimalai Caves, 10th century

Bahubali (One With Strong Arms), a much revered figure among Jains, was the son of Rishabdev (the first tirthankara of Jainism) and the brother of Bharata Chakravartin.

There are five monolithic statues of Bahubali measuring more than 6 m (20 feet) in height in Karnataka:

Hoysala Empire

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Sala fighting the Lion or Tiger, the emblem of the Hoysala Empire at Belur, Karnataka.

Gajapati pagoda, ca. 10th–13th century CE.

Garuda pillar hero stone (virgal) at Halebidu with old Kannada inscription of about 1220 CE.

Chennakesava Temple, Somanathapura, built 1268 CE.

Standing Vishnu as Keshava, 1st quarter of the 12th century, Hoysala period, probably Belur, Karnataka, India

Old Kannada inscription dated to 1182 of King Veera Ballala II at Akkana Basadi, Shravanabelagola.

"Darpanasundari" (lady with a mirror), one of the many madanakai decorating the Chennakeshava Temple, Belur.

Old Kannada inscription (1270 CE) of King Narasimha III at Keshava Temple, Somanathapura.

Vesara style Vimana of the Lakshmi Narasimha temple at Nuggehalli (1246 CE)

Stellate Vimana, at Ishvara Temple (Arasikere) built in 1220 CE

Twin temples (1200 CE) at Mosale, the Nageshvara (near) and Chennakeshava temple (far)

A sculpture of a dancer on pillar bracket, 1117 CE, (Shilabaalika or Madanika) in the Chennakeshava temple at Belur

The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, India between the 10th and the 14th centuries.

Kannada folklore tells a tale of a young man, Sala, who saved his Jain guru, Sudatta, by striking dead a lion or tiger he encountered near the temple of the goddess Vasantika at Angadi, now called Sosevuru.

Ashoka

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Indian emperor of the Maurya Empire, son of Bindusara, who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from c. 268 to 232 BCE.

Ashoka's Major Rock Edict at Junagadh contains inscriptions by Ashoka (fourteen of the Edicts of Ashoka), Rudradaman I and Skandagupta.

King Ashoka visits Ramagrama, to take relics of the Buddha from the Nagas, but in vain. Southern gateway, Stupa 1, Sanchi.

The Major Rock Edict No.13 of Ashoka, mentions the Greek kings Antiochus, Ptolemy, Antigonus, Magas and Alexander by name, as recipients of his teachings.

The Aramaic Inscription of Taxila probably mentions Ashoka.

The Saru Maru commemorative inscription seems to mention the presence of Ashoka in the area of Ujjain as he was still a Prince.

Kanaganahalli inscribed panel portraying Asoka with Brahmi label "King Asoka", 1st–3rd century CE.

Stupa of Sanchi. The central stupa was built during the Mauryas, and enlarged during the Sungas, but the decorative gateway is dated to the later dynasty of the Satavahanas.

Illustration of the original Mahabodhi Temple temple built by Asoka at Bodh Gaya. At the center, the Vajrasana, or "Enlightenment Throne of the Buddha", with its supporting columns, being the object of adoration. A Pillar of Ashoka topped by an elephant appears in the right corner. Bharhut relief, 1st century BCE.

The rediscovered Vajrasana, or "Enlightenment Throne of the Buddha", at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya. It was built by Ashoka to commemorate the enlightenment of the Buddha, about two hundred years before him.

Ashoka and Monk Moggaliputta-Tissa at the Third Buddhist Council. Nava Jetavana, Shravasti.

A king - most probably Ashoka - with his two queens and three attendants, in a relief at Sanchi. The king's identification with Ashoka is suggested by a similar relief at Kanaganahalli, which bears his name.

Ashoka with his queen, at Kanaganahalli near Sannati, 1st–3rd century CE. The relief bears the inscription "Rāya Asoko" (𑀭𑀸𑀬 𑀅𑀲𑁄𑀓𑁄, "King Ashoka") in Brahmi script. It depicts the king with his queen, two attendants bearing fly-whisks, and one attendant bearing an umbrella.

Emperor Ashoka and his Queen at the Deer Park. Sanchi relief.

The word Upāsaka (𑀉𑀧𑀸𑀲𑀓, "Buddhist lay follower", in the Brahmi script), used by Ashoka in his Minor Rock Edict No.1 to describe his affiliation to Buddhism (circa 258 BCE).

Territories "conquered by the Dhamma" according to Major Rock Edict No.13 of Ashoka (260–218 BCE).

Distribution of the Edicts of Ashoka, and location of the contemporary Greek city of Ai-Khanoum.

The Kandahar Edict of Ashoka, a bilingual inscription (in Greek and Aramaic) by King Ashoka, discovered at Kandahar (National Museum of Afghanistan).

The Minor Rock Edict of Maski mentions the author as "Devanampriya Asoka", definitively linking both names, and confirming Ashoka as the author of the famous Edicts.

A c. 1910 painting by Abanindranath Tagore (1871–1951) depicting Ashoka's queen standing in front of the railings of the Buddhist monument at Sanchi (Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh).

The Ashokan pillar at Lumbini, Nepal, Buddha's birthplace

The Diamond throne at the Mahabodhi Temple, attributed to Ashoka

Mauryan ringstone, with standing goddess. Northwest Pakistan. 3rd century BCE. British Museum

Rampurva bull capital, detail of the abacus, with two "flame palmettes" framing a lotus surrounded by small rosette flowers.

Caduceus symbol on a Maurya-era punch-marked coin

A punch-marked coin attributed to Ashoka<ref>{{cite book |last=Mitchiner |first=Michael |date=1978 |title=Oriental Coins & Their Values: The Ancient and Classical World 600 B.C. - A.D. 650 |publisher=Hawkins Publications |page=544 |isbn=978-0-9041731-6-1}}</ref>

A Maurya-era silver coin of 1 karshapana, possibly from Ashoka's period, workshop of Mathura. Obverse: Symbols including a sun and an animal Reverse: Symbol Dimensions: 13.92 x 11.75 mm Weight: 3.4 g.

This legend about Ashoka's search for a worthy teacher may be aimed at explaining why Ashoka did not adopt Jainism, another major contemporary faith that advocates non-violence and compassion.

Sannati Stupa, Karnataka, India

Maurya Empire

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Geographically extensive ancient Indian Iron Age historical power in South Asia based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE.