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{{Short description|Indian Jain ruler}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox military person
| image = Frontal south eastern view of the Chavundaraya Basadi at Shravanabelagola.jpg
| alt = Chavundaraya
| caption = [[Chavundaraya Basadi]]
| birth_date = {{circa|940 CE}}
| death_date = {{death year and age|989|940}}
|title = ''Samara Paraśurāma''
| occupation = [[Western Ganga dynasty|Ganga Commander]] & Minister
| works = ''Trishasthi-Lakshana-Purana''
}}
{{Jainism}}
[[File:Chavundaraya Basadi on Chandragiri hill at Shravanabelagola.jpg|thumb|[[Chavundaraya basadi]] (10th century) on Chandragiri Hill]]

'''''Cāmuṇḍarāya''''' or '''Chavundaraya''' ([[Kannada]] ''Cāmuṇḍarāya, Cāvuṇḍarāya'', 940–989) was an [[Indian people|Indian]] Jain ruler. He served in the court of the [[Western Ganga dynasty]] of [[Talakad]] (in modern [[Karnataka]], India). A person of many talents, in 981 he commissioned the construction of the [[monolith]]ic statue of [[Bahubali]], the [[Gommateshwara statue|Gomateshwara]], at [[Shravanabelagola]], an important place of pilgrimage for [[Jainism]]. He was a devotee of the Jain Acharya [[Nemichandra]] and Ajitasena [[Bhattaraka]] and was an influential person during the reigns of [[Marasimha II Satyavakya]], (963–975). Rachamalla IV Satyavakya, (975–986) and Rachamalla V (Rakkasaganga), (986–999).

A courageous commander with the title ''Samara [[Parashurama|Paraśurāma]]'' (''lit'', "Battle-[[Rama]] wielding an ax"), he found time to pursue his literary interests as well and became a renowned writer in [[Kannada]] and [[Sanskrit]].<ref name="poet">Kamath (2001), p45</ref><ref name="poet1">Sastri (1955), pp356-357</ref> He wrote an important and existing prose piece called the ''Chavundaraya Purana'', also known as ''Trishasthi Lakshana Purana'', in Kannada (978) and the ''Cāritrasāra'' in Sanskrit. He patronised the famous Kannada grammarians Gunavarma and [[Nagavarma I]] and the poet [[Ranna (Kannada poet)|Ranna]] whose writing ''Parusharama Charite'' may have been a eulogy of his patron.<ref name="poet"/> Because of his many lasting contributions, Chavundaraya is an important figure in the history of medieval Karnataka.

==Origin==
In his writing, he claims he was from the ''Brahmakshatriya'' ''Vamsa'' ([[Brahmin]] converted to the [[Kshatriya]] caste).<ref name="line">Kulkarni (1975) in Adiga (2006), p195</ref> The 10th century Algodu inscription of the [[Mysore district]] and the Arani inscription from the [[Mandya district]] provide more information on the family genealogy of Chavundaraya. It states that Chavundaraya was the grandson of Govindamayya who is praised for his knowledge and [[Dharma]] and was the son of Mabalayya, a subordinate of King Marasimha II. Mabalayya and his brother Isarayya are praised for their prowess in the inscription.<ref name="prowess">Gopal et al. (1976) in Adiga (2006), p196</ref> It is believed that their political position under King Marasimha II may have led to a gradual adoption of [[Kshatriya]] status by this Brahmin family.<ref name="ksha">Adiga (2006), p196</ref>

An inscriptional eulogy of Chavundaraya on the ''[[Tyagada Brahmadeva Pillar]]'' at Shravanabelagola (which has beautiful engravings and relief representing Chavundaraya and his guru Nemichandra at the base) praises him thus,
{{Cquote|A sun in the shape of a jewel adorning the crest of the eastern mountains, the ''brahmaksatra'' race; a moon in the shape of the splendour of his fame causing to swell the ocean, the ''brahmaksatra'' race; the central gem to the pearl necklace of [[Lakshmi]], procured from the Rohana mountain, the ''brahmaksatra'' race.<ref name="race">Gopal et al. (1973) in Adiga (2006), p196</ref>}}

==Commander==
[[File:Gomateswara.jpg|thumb|right|[[Gomateshwara]] monolith at [[Shravanabelagola]] (982–983 CE)]]
As a commander for the Western Ganga [[feudatory]] of the [[Rashtrakutas]], he fought many battles for their Rashtrakutas overlords, beginning in the days of the Rashtrakuta king, [[Khottiga Amoghavarsha]]. In fact, the Gangas supported the cause of the Rashtrakutas till the very end.<ref name="espouse">Kamath (2001), p84</ref> During the last years of Rashtrakuta rule, the Gangas were also under constant threat of civil war and from invasions of the increasingly powerful [[Chola Dynasty]]. When a civil war broke out in 975, Chavundaraya supported the cause of Prince Rachamalla IV and installed him on the throne.<ref name="throne">Kamath (2001), p46</ref>

Kongu historians Pulavar S.Raju and Pondheepankar point out in their works that his sister Puliabbai's [[sallekhana]] or fasting to death in the [[Vijayamangalam Jain temple]], [[Kongu Nadu]] is marked by a [[stele]] inscription and thus he being a native of this region.{{sfn|Sangave|1981|p=59}}A trilingual name inscription, also recorded in Tamil [[Pallava script|Pallava Grantha]] records his name in the left foot flank of the Gommateshwara monolith.

Chavundaraya suppressed a rebellion made by Panchaldeva Mahasamanta in 975 AD and slew Mudurachayya (who held the titles ''Chaladanka Ganga'' and ''Gangarabanta'') in the battle of Bageyur. He thus avenged the death of his brother Nagavarma by Mudurachayya. After these battles where Chavundaraya showed his gallantry, Rachamalla IV ascended the Ganga throne. For his exploits, Chavundraya earned the titles ''Samara Parsurama'', ''Vira Martanda'', ''Ranarangasimha'', ''Samara Dhurandhara'', ''Vairikula Kaladanda'', ''Bhuja Vikrama'' and ''Bhatamara''.<ref name ="Panchaldeva mahasamanta">Rao, Krishna M. V., ''The Gangas of Talakad: A Monograph on the History of Mysore from the Fourth to the Close of the Eleventh Century'', (1936), pp109 – 113, Publishers:B.G. Paul and Company</ref>

==Writings==
[[File:Handwriting (10th century) of Kannada poet Chavundaraya at Shravanabelagola.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Inscribed handwriting (in Kannada characters) of Chavundaraya on Chandragiri hill in [[Shravanabelagola]], Karnataka]]
Chavundaraya's writing, ''Chavundaraya Purana'', is the second oldest existing work in prose style in Kannada and is a summary of the Sanskrit works, ''Adipurana'' and ''Uttarapurana'', written by [[Jinasena]] and Gunabhadra during the rule of Rashtrakuta [[Amoghavarsha I]]. The prose work, composed in lucid Kannada, was meant mainly for the common man and avoided any reference to complicated elements of Jain doctrines and philosophy. In his writing, the influences of his predecessor [[Adikavi Pampa]] and contemporary Ranna are seen. ''Trishashtilakshana purana'' narrates the legends of twenty-four Jain [[Tirthankara]]s, twelve ''Chakravartis'', nine ''Balabhadras'', nine ''Narayanas'' and nine ''Pratinarayanas'' – narrations on sixty-three Jain proponents in all.{{sfn|Upinder Singh|2016|p=29}}<ref name="jain">Sastri (1955), p357</ref><ref name="prop">Kulkarni (1975) in Adiga (2006), p256</ref>

==Builder==
The monolith Gomateshwara statue dedicated to the Jain god, [[Bahubali]], was commissioned by Chavundaraya and built on the Indragiri hill (also known as [[Vindhyagiri Hill]]) is a unique example of Western Ganga sculpture. Carved from fine-grained white granite, the image stands on a lotus. It has no support up to the thighs and is 60 feet tall with the face measuring 6.5 feet. With the serene expression on the face of the image, its curled hair with graceful locks, its proportional anatomy, the monolith size, and the combination of its artistry and craftsmanship have led it to be called the mightiest achievement in sculptural art in medieval Karnataka.<ref name="art">M Seshadri in Kamath (2001), p51</ref> It is the largest monolithic statue in the world.<ref name="keay">{{cite book
| last =Keay
| first =John
| title =India: A History
| publisher =Grove Press
| year =2000
| location =New York
| isbn = 0-8021-3797-0
| page = 324 (across) }}</ref> The [[Chavundaraya basadi]] also in Shravanabelagola and built on the [[Chandragiri Hill]] is credited to him by some scholars while others argue it was built by his son Jinadevana.<ref name="deva">The characters on an inscription at the base of the image of Jain Tirthankara Parashwanatha in the basadi states a Jain temple was built by Jinadevana, Gopal et al. (1973) in Adiga (2006), p256</ref> However, by the 12th century additions to the shrine were made by a later King Gangaraja by which time tradition held that the shrine was built by Chavundaraya. However another view holds that the original shrine itself was consecrated in the 11th century and built in memory of Chavundaraya.<ref name="memory">S. Settar in Adiga (2006), p256</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{citation |last=Sangave |first=Vilas Adinath |author-link=Vilas Adinath Sangave |title=The Sacred Shravanabelagola (A Socio-Religious Study) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nZ3S6CW5KKQC |date=1981 |publisher=[[Bharatiya Jnanpith]] |edition=1st }}
*{{cite book |last= Sastri|first= Nilakanta K.A.|title= A history of South India from prehistoric times to the fall of Vijayanagar|orig-year=1955|year=2002|publisher= Indian Branch, Oxford University Press|location= New Delhi|isbn= 0-19-560686-8}}
*{{cite book |last= Kamath|first= Suryanath U.|title= A concise history of Karnataka : from pre-historic times to the present|orig-year=1980|year= 2001|publisher= Jupiter books|location= Bangalore|oclc= 7796041 |lccn= 80905179}}
*{{cite book |last= Adiga|first= Malini|title= The Making of Southern Karnataka: Society, Polity and Culture in the early medieval period, AD 400–1030|orig-year=2006|year=2006|publisher= Orient Longman|location= Chennai|isbn= 81-250-2912-5}}
*{{cite book |last= Narasimhacharya|first= R|title= History of Kannada Literature|url= https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.489059|orig-year=1988|year=1988|publisher= Asian Educational Services|location= New Delhi, Madras|isbn= 81-206-0303-6}}
*{{cite book |last= Keay|first= John|title= History of India|orig-year=2000|year=2000|publisher= Grove publications|location= New York|isbn= 0-8021-3797-0}}
* {{citation |last=Singh |first=Upinder |author-link=Upinder Singh |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pq2iCwAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Pearson Education]] |date=2016 |isbn=978-93-325-6996-6 |ref={{sfnref|Upinder Singh|2016}} }}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060915003134/http://www.mahamasthakabhisheka.com/heritageofshravanabelagola/chamundarayaandshravanabelagola.htm Chamundaraya and Shrvanabelagola]
*[http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/itihas/chavundaraya.htm Jaina Minister Chavundaraya] by K. L. Kamat

{{Jainism topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:10th-century Indian Jain writers]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Karnataka]]
[[Category:History of Karnataka]]
[[Category:Kannada-language writers]]
[[Category:940 births]]
[[Category:989 deaths]]
[[Category:People under the Western Ganga dynasty]]
[[Category:People from Hassan district]]
[[Category:10th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:10th-century Indian scientists]]
[[Category:Karnataka politicians]]
[[Category:Poets from Karnataka]]
[[Category:Scientists from Karnataka]]
[[Category:Kannada poets]]

Chavundaraya - Revision history

imported>Arjayay: Duplicate word removed +