Dimensions of Babanagara inscription [Vide South Indian Inscriptions, Vol. XVIII. No. 187, C. E. 1168, pp. 256-59]

Summary

The Babanagara inscription, catalogued as entry 187 in South Indian Inscriptions volume 18, is a 71‑line epigraph found at Kannadige (modern Babanagara) in Karnataka. Dated to 1168 CE during the reign of Kalachuri king Bijjala II, the inscription records donations to three Jain templeshttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2002_07_Romanized/520147. It opens with panegyrics praising Bijjala, his father Mallugi, his mother Pochala and his uncle Someshvara, emphasising their devotion to Jainism. Someshvara is noted for building a basadi and endowing it with villages and oil‑mills. The record details gifts of land, oil‑mills and gadyanas (coins) to temples dedicated to Tirthankaras. It names monks and temple officials like Bhattaraka Mānīkyanandi who managed these endowments and describes how revenues supported ascetics, lamps and repairshttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2002_07_Romanized/520147. Merchants, artisans and local chieftains contributed, showing that Jain institutions were integrated into regional society. The inscription also provides genealogical information and confirms the Kalachuri dynasty’s authority over the region. Linguistically, it uses Old Kannada metres and Sanskrit invocations, reflecting the bilingual literary culture of the period. Scholars value the Babanagara inscription for its socio‑economic insights. It demonstrates that medieval rulers patronised multiple faiths; Bijjala’s support for Jainism coexisted with his Shaiva affiliations. The detailed enumeration of donations reveals the material basis of Jain monastic life and the networks connecting temples, lay donors and the state. By preserving genealogical and economic data, the inscription enriches our understanding of twelfth‑century South India, illustrating how religion, politics and economy intersected.