Jainism in Mysore

This article recounts how Jainism reached Karnataka and Mysore through the leadership of Bhadrabahu, the last śrutakevali. Born to a Brahmin priest, Bhadrabahu became a learned ācārya and predicted a twelve‑year famine in northern India. He and Emperor Chandragupta Maurya therefore led about twelve thousand monks southwards. The story, recorded on the Śravaṇa Beḷgoḷa inscriptions, describes Bhadrabahu’s dream of a twelve‑headed serpent foretelling the famine and Chandragupta’s abdication to join the migration. After Bhadrabahu’s death on Mount Katavapra, his disciple Viśākhamuni led the monks further south to the Cola and Pandya countries. The Jain communities settled along the Western Ghats and southern Mysore, forming saṃghas, gaṇas and gocchas that nurtured religious literature and regional vernaculars. Contrary to stereotypes of ascetics shunning worldly affairs, Jain gurus in the Deccan were consulted by kings and held political influence. The article then summarises the region’s political history: the Gangas ruled Mysore from the 2nd to the 11th century; they were succeeded by the Coḷas and later the Hoysalas, while the Eastern and Western Cālukyas, Rāṣṭrakūṭas and Kalacuris controlled neighbouring areas. Jainism flourished under these dynasties, who built temples and patronised scholars. Later sections (not fully reproduced) discuss Mysore’s temple architecture and literary contributions.

Summary reviewed by a volunteer editor.