14th century Jain temples in Penukonda which is very close to Puttaparthi

Last updated on 2nd Oct. 2022

After putting up my post on a chronological list of (empire/kingdom level) rulers of Penukonda over past 8 to 9 centuries, I got the impression that some readers may not know, and may be interested in knowing, about the 14th century Jain temples in Penukonda.

First some words about them from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penukonda :

Because of its ancient Jain history and presence of many temples it is one of the most revered places for Jains. In the Tamil Jain tradition, this is counted as one of the four Jain centers of learning (Vidystahana) i.e. a Bhattaraka matha which are Delhi, Kolhapur, Jina Kanchi and Penukonda.[4] The famous Pache Parsvanath Swamy Temple, with idol of Parsvanath containing a single green coloured stone (Pacha) is located here.[5][6] According to the inscription on the image, it was consecrated in A.D. 1359, by a disciple of Mula Sangh Nandisangha's Balatkara Gana, Saraswathi Gachha, Kondakundanvaya's Priyarajaguru Mandalacharya Maghanandi Siddantha Deva. It was once the seat of a Jain Bhattaraka, established in A.D. 1359. The seat became extinct and the local Jain population declined. However the temple is well preserved. Also located here is the historic Ajitnath temple from the same period.

[References:]

4. Jain Monuments of Andhra, G. Jawaharlal, Sharada Publishing Houe, 2002, p. 74

5. A speed-breaker called Penukonda, The Hindu, Jul 10, 2004[dead link]

6. Penukonda http://www.jainheritagecentres.com/jainism-in-india/andhra-pradesh/penukonda/

--- end wiki extract ---

What is a Jain Bhattaraka? From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhattaraka : "A Bhaṭṭāraka (Jain Prakrit: भट्टारक "holy one") heads traditional Digambara Jain institutions. He is responsible for training scholars, maintenance of libraries, managing endowments, presiding over installation ceremonies and running Jain institutions.[1]" [1: Vilas Adinath Sangave, Facets of Jainology: Selected Research Papers, 2001, Popular Prakashan. p. 133-143]

I understand that to mean that Penukonda had a Jain monastic institution which taught Jain religious scripture to students, and so would have been an important centre for Jainism religion from 1359 onwards!

Given below are some links with pics of the two 14th century Jain temples - Parshwanath and Ajitanath - in Penukonda and some description but I don't know how accurate the descriptions are.

1) https://www.jainheritagecentres.com/jainism-in-india/andhra-pradesh/penukonda/ - Has pics of Parshwanath Jain temple with labels but not sure if it has pics of Ajitanath Jain temple.

2) https://www.jainsamaj.org/content.php?url=Tamil_Nadu:-_Penukonda_-_Bh. , Parshwanath Jain temple

3) https://www.jainmandir.org/Temple/Sri-Ajitanatha-Digamber-Jain-Temple%2C-Penukonda%2C-District-Anantpur-(Andhra-Pradesh) , Ajitanath Jain temple.

So Penukonda would have had a flourishing Jain community from at least 1359, with its surviving temples being monuments of those days which can be viewed today. It should also be noted that the local Jain community in Penukonda has declined and seems to be very limited now. [Section Religion-wise Population - Penukonda Mandal in Indian Census of 2011 of Penukonda mandal, https://www.censusindia.co.in/subdistrict/penukonda-mandal-anantapur-andhra-pradesh-5356 lists number of Jains as only 16 out of a total population of 55,383.] So the maintenance of these temples in our times is probably being funded by Jains outside Penukonda, some of whom may be visiting it periodically.

As Puttaparthi is very close to Penukonda (only 33 kms by road today), such a flourishing Penukonda town, dating back to 650 years (six and a half centuries), surely would have had an impact on Puttaparthi village and nearby areas then. That's quite fascinating to know.

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My comment (slightly edited) from associated FB post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/pfbid0UCEiPHiYY7BiUYRiZBtdxJtKx3wQiKrieZHchC7i66q73xwTQq18CukSPP64Jb7Cl :

I don't know whether Jain temple in Penukonda was constructed and flourished under Jain rule. The Hoysala empire seems to have had a mix of Jain and Hindu rulers, followed by Vijayanagar empire which I think had Hindu rulers. If I recall correctly, the wikipedia pages indicate that even if the empire/kingdom ruler over Penukonda was Jain or Hindu, he/she was not opposed to the other religion (Hindu/Jain) till Vijayanagara empire lost control of Penukonda which would have been around 1639. Don't know how the following empires/kingdoms treated the Jains in Penukonda.

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[I thank Wikipedia and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extract(s) from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]