The Sindas: An Outline
Summary
This essay attempts to assemble a coherent picture of the Sinda dynasty, another Jain‑affiliated royal family whose history is even more obscure than that of the Senvaras. The author stresses that the political chronology of the Sindas remains amorphous because inscriptions are scattered and often ambiguous. Branches of the family have been identified in Belagutti, Renjeru, Bagadage, Kurugodu, Partyandaka and Erambarage, and they are collectively styled as Bhogavatī‑Puravara‑adhiśvaras, “lords of the town of Bhogavatī.” The Sindas belonged to the Naga lineage (Nāgavaṃśa), sharing serpent‑worshipping traditions with their contemporaries the Sendrakas and Senavaras, and may even be related to these clans. Early inscriptions portray Sindarasa and Devasatti Arasa as vassals serving the Calukya and Ganga kings in the sixth and seventh centuries. Records from 567–68 CE show Sindarasa ruling Panthipura (modern Hanagal) and making generous donations of irrigated land to the Jinendra‑bhavana at Karmagalūru. Other deeds describe householder Śrīpāla and his grandfather Dharmagamuṇḍa consecrating stone inscriptions and endowing wet fields to support Jain monastic institutions. These epigraphs attest that Adūr (near modern Adoor) remained a prominent Jain centre from the sixth to the fourteenth century, supported by successive Sinda chiefs and a lineage of monks including Vinayanandi, Prabhācandra, Vasudevamuni, Sirinandi Bhattāraka, and others. The article also notes the nebulous genealogical relationships between the Sindas and Sendrakas, suggesting that they might be two branches of the same Naga stock. Later figures such as Ayacapardja (Ayacārya) and his brother‑in‑law Acarāja are documented as subordinates of Vikramāditya VI in the twelfth century. The Sinda chiefs held titles like Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara of regions such as Kisukade (near Pattadakal), Belvola‑300 and Naregal. Their banner bore hooded serpents, and they sometimes claimed to be born from the boon of serpent‑king Dharaṇendra and his queen Padmāvatī. Kannada served as their administrative language, though many later branches became Śaivite rather than Jain. In sum, the essay pieces together epigraphic references to show that the Sindas were a serpent‑emblemed house of Jain feudatories who patronised monastic institutions, donated land, and exercised local authority under larger dynasties. Despite the paucity of records, the author argues that the Sindas were significant regional actors and deserve further study alongside their better‑known counterparts. By compiling these fragmented narratives, the article not only recovers the outlines of an overlooked ruling house but also sheds light on the religious and cultural landscape of the early medieval Deccan and the ways in which Jain belief intersected with regional politics and Naga symbolism.
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Conclusion
The article’s reconstruction underscores the difficulty of writing Sinda history but also highlights the dynasty’s enduring presence in western Karnataka for nearly a millennium. Through donations, temple patronage and service to Calukya, Ganga and later Kalyana rulers, Sinda chiefs sustained important Jain centres such as Adūr. Their serpent symbolism and possible kinship with the Sendrakas link them to a wider Nāgavaṃśa tradition. By illuminating these fragmented records, the essay invites scholars to reconsider the political and religious influence of lesser‑known Jain lineages and to explore how regional dynasties negotiated identity and power within early medieval Deccan polities.