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Between
the Kuge-Bradhadeva pillar and the Parshwanatha Basadi and inside a
stone railing are to be found on the rock quite a large number of
interesting ancient inscriptions. Most of these are in old Kannada
characters, the language being old Kannada or Sanskrit. A number of
the records are epitaphs of Jain monks who passed away by
sallekhana or starvation. A few bear witness to the use of a
high classical style in Kannada poetry in the seventh and eighth
centuries A.D. Of the records the most important is the inscription
(Epigraphia Carnatica Vol. II, No. 1) that refers to the migration
of the Jains to South India at the instance of the Srutakevali
Bhadrabahu, who predicted predicted a twelve years drought and
famine and the other inscription (Epigraphia Carnatica Vol. II, No.
31) belonging to about 650 A.D., which runs thus: "The Jaina
religion greatly prospered at the time when the pair of great sages
Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta shed lustre on it". Such epitaphs and
and other inscriptions are also found on the rock in front of the
Sasana basadi and the Chamundaraya basadi. |
