The Rāṣṭrakūṭas and Jainism
Summary
Prof. Kamala Hampana’s article “The Rāṣṭrakūṭas and Jainism” surveys how the Rāṣṭrakūṭa dynasty, after defeating the Cālukyas of Bādāmī, founded one of India’s greatest imperial kingdoms and oversaw a golden age of Jain culture. The author remarks that the Rāṣṭrakūṭa kingdom was vast and was counted among the four great kingdoms of the world. Under rulers such as Dantidurga, Kṛṣṇarāja I and their successors, Jainism enjoyed imperial patronage. These kings built Jina temples at Aṇṇigere, Puligere, Śravaṇa Beḷagola and other centres, encouraged Jaina monks and scholars, and donated villages to support basadis (monastic complexes). Hampana profiles celebrated Jain scholars of the period. Ācārya Akalaṅka (8th century) founded the medieval school of Jain logic and wrote influential works like the Tattvārtha‑rāja‑vārttika and Apta‑mīmāṃsā. Vidyānanda, Pātrakesari and Bhattākalanka were esteemed logicians who commented on foundational texts, while Jinasena and Guṇabhadra collaborated on the Mahāpurāṇa and Ādipurāṇa, monumental Sanskrit epics that shaped Jain mythology and inspired subsequent authors. The article emphasises that these scholars were often attached to royal courts, highlighting the nexus between intellectual activity and political power. The author recounts that Rāṣṭrakūṭa nobles and queens also contributed to Jain culture by constructing temples and granting land. Feudal lords built shrines in Viṣāla, Banavāsi, Koṇḍapur and numerous villages, while ministers commissioned libraries and shelters for ascetics. Hampana stresses that Jainism was the state religion during parts of the Rāṣṭrakūṭa era and thus influenced courtly ethics, architecture and education. Beyond religious patronage, the article notes that the Rāṣṭrakūṭa period was a renaissance for Kannada and Sanskrit literature. Pampa, Ponna and Ranna—celebrated poets inspired by Jain heroes—composed classics like Vikramārjuna‑Vijaya and Gada‑yuddha. Their works blended poetic excellence with ethical instruction and laid foundations for later Kannada literature. Hampana concludes that the decline of the dynasty did not erase its contribution: inscriptions, temples and texts attest to centuries of Jaina cultural prosperity fostered by the Rāṣṭrakūṭas. The article thus situates Jainism’s growth within broader political and cultural currents, illustrating how imperial support can spur philosophical and artistic flowering.
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Conclusion
The essay underscores that the Rāṣṭrakūṭas’ military success created a cosmopolitan empire where Jainism flourished. Through temple construction, land grants and patronage of scholars and poets, the dynasty enabled a renaissance of Jain architecture and literature. Hampana argues that these contributions were so extensive that even after the dynasty’s fall, the physical and textual heritage continued to shape Indian culture. The article thus portrays the Rāṣṭrakūṭa era as a high point in the symbiosis of political power and Jain religious life.