Jaina Traditions in Rajavali Katha

Jaina Goddess Ambika

Rajavali Katha of Devachandra is a work completed in 1841 A.D. and its value lies in the traditions about Jainism, its history in Karnataka, the literature in Samskrit and Kannada, incidental references to ruling dynasties and contemporary religions. Its historical value.is extremely open to doubt, but it furnishes a starting point for further research and hence cannot be dismissed as entirely fanciful.

Devachandra and his elder brothers Chandayya and Padmaraja were the descendants of a Jaina Brahmana Bommanna, an accountant of Giripura.

Devachandra was born in 1770 A.D, and from his Fourteenth year he began to write poems. In his 22^nd year (1772 4.1) he wrote Pujyapada Charita in Kannada. Since his elder brother Padmaraja is also said to have written that work, both brothers must have co-operated in the production. Since Devachandra presented the Rajavali Kathe to Mummudi Krishna Raja Wodeyar in 1841 he must have lived for more than 70 years. Rajavali Kathe was his last work and before that he wrote Ramakathavatara, Sumeru Sataka, Bhaktisara, Satakatraya, Sastrasara, Laghu Vritti, Pravachana Siddhanta, Dravya Samgraha Dvadasanupreksha Katha, Dhyana Samrajya, Dvadasanupreksha Katha, Dhyana Samrajya, Adhyatma Vichara, Karnataka Samskrta Balanudi, etc. He says that when Mackenzie with Sardar Lakshman Rao came to Kankagiri, he asked for local records, Devachandra showed him his pujyapada charita. Mackenzie took the poet along with him from Kamaraballi to Nagavala and giving him 25 Rupees asked him to send a written account of all the old traditions. Devachandra began his Rajavali Katha in 1804 and completed it in 1838 A.D. Therefore he took nearly 35 years in compiling it. In 1841 Deviramba, Queena of Chamaraja heard of the work and asked the author to complete it by adding the history of the Mysore Kings. Perhaps this was submitted to Krishna Raja Wodeyar III in 1841-42.

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'Sulakas and Mulakas' by Dr S. Srikanta Sastri

Prominent Mulukanadu Personalities 

The identification of Sulakas with Cholikas put forward by Rev. Mr. Heras seems to me untenable. Mere word resemblances unsupported by other facts, cannot be accepted as conclusive. As instances of this deceptive method we can put forward the resemblances between Sulakas and Salikis, Salkis etc. Salki, Chalukya, Salikya etc., are used as variants of the same word Chalukya e.g. the Bezwada inscription of Yuddhamalla; speculations as to the origin and exact connotation of the term mulaka as found in the name of an Andhra community “Mulaka Nadu”, are too numerous to mention. Reference might be made to two of such theories put forward to show the futility of such linguistic gymnastics. One theory is that it derives its name from “Mulks”, Ibrahim Mulk and his descendents; the other is that it ought to be Munikula Nadu, Both of these, to put it mildly, are fanciful.

Mulaka is mentioned in the Jatakas along with Assaka. The Assakas again must be

Fr. Heras

differentiated from Aswakas, a term sometimes applied to the western Kshatrapas as Skandasishya is said to have taken the Ghatika of Kanchi from one Satyasena an Assaka. Asmaka was one of the eighteen earliest Janapadas mentioned in Buddhist literature. Panini mentions Asmaka (iv. 1. 173). In the Baveru Jataka, we are told that the disciples started from the Asmaka country to Mahissati, Ujjeni, Paithana of Mulaka country, Gonaddha, Vidisa, Vanasa, Havya, Kosambi, Saketa, Savatthi, Setavya, Kapilavatho, Kusinara, Pava, Vesali, and finally to Asmaka Chetya where the Buddha was residing. Avanti was evidently North of Assaka as they are spoken of together in Anguttara Nikaya and Sona Nanda Jataka. To the south there was the Mulaka country. Assaka and Mulaka like Kasi and Kosala were probably tribal names which gradually became identified with the country the tribes occupied from time to time. At the time of Alexander’s invasion, the Assakeni were to be found in the North-west also.

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