The Dynasties of the Kanarese Districts of the Bombay Presidency from the Earliest Historical Times to the Musalman Conquest c8.s4.39

c8.s4.39

During the period occupied by the later Châlukya dynasty and the Kalachuris (Saka 895-1110 or A.D. 973-1188), the old state of things as regards the religious and social condition of the country may be said to have finally disappeared and the new ushered in. First, we have in this period what might be considered the last traces of Buddhism. In the reign of Tribhuvanamalla or Vikramâditya II., in the cyclic year Yuvan, and the nineteenth of his era (Saka 1017), sixteen merchants of the Vaiśya caste constructed a Buddhistic vihâra or monastery and temple at Dharmavolal, the modern Dambal in the Dhârvâd district and assigned for its support and for the maintenance of another vihâra at Lokkigundi, the modern Lakkundi, a field and a certain amount of money to be raised by voluntary taxation.⁴ In Saka 1032 the S'ilâhâra chief of Kolhâpur constructed a large tank and placed on its margin an idol of Buddha along with those of S'iva and Arhat, and assigned lands for their support.⁵ Jainism ceased in this period to be the conquering religion that it was, and about the end received an effectual check by the rise of the Lingâyata sect. This new creed spread widely among the trading classes, which before were the chief supporters of Jainism. There is a tradition in some parts of the country that some of the existing temples contained Jaina idols at one time and that afterwards they were thrown out and Brâhmanic ones placed instead. This points to a change of feeling with reference to Jainism, the origin of which must be referred to this period.