History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c91.314

v7.c91.314

1645a यस्मिन्देशे य आचारो व्यवहारः कुलस्थितिः । तथैव परिपाल्योऽसौ यदा वशमुपागतः ॥. Nothing is gained by a total denial of even sporadic cases of religious persecution and vandalism. But such cases are very few and their very paucity emphasizes and illuminates the great religious tolerance of the Indian people for more than two thousand years. One interesting instance is found in an inscription from Ablūr published in E I vol. V pp 213 ff (at p. 243), where the story is told of an intense devotee of Śaivism named Ekāntada Rāma, who, in a controversy with the Jainas of Huligere (Lakṣmeśvara) led by a village headman named Saṅkagaudā made a wager in a writing on palmyra leaf to the effect that he would cut his own head, place it at the feet of Somanātha in Huligere and have the head restored after seven days and that, if he succeeded, the Jains were to give up their faith and God. Ekāntada Rāma succeeded, but the Jainas refused to destroy the image of Jina, whereupon Rāma routed the horses and guards sent by the Jainas, laid waste the Jaina shrine and built a big Śiva shrine there. The Jainas complained to king Bijjala who sent for Rāma and questioned him Rāma produced the writing containing the terms of the wager, but offered to perform the same feat. The Jainas were not prepared to face the same test again Bijjala asked the Jainas to live peaceably with their neighbours, gave a *jayapatra* (document of Rāma's success) and granted a village to the temple of Somanātha. It is clear that a Jain image was overthrown and a Śaiva one was substituted by Rāma (leaving aside the superhuman feat ascribed to him) Rāma is to be placed shortly before 1162 A. D. There is a great difference between local brawls as in the above case and a general policy by a community or a king of wholesale persecution.