Ancient Jain inscription found in Kalasa
Mangaluru, Sep 12: Historians have unearthed an unpublished Jain inscription belonging to the medieval period from a Jain Basadi in Kalasa of Chikkamagaluru district.
Prof T Murugeshi, associate professor of ancient history and archaeology at Mulki Sundar Ram Shetty (MSRS) College, Shirva, Udupi, said in a release that the unpublished Jain inscription recovered was in Kannada script and language.
Researchers found the script beside the Chandranatha Tirthankara idol that is about six inches.
It is a ten-line inscription, Murugeshi said.
The inscription reads 'Angirasa Samvatsara Ashada Suddha Dasami Murara vivaradalu,' indicating that it was written on July 2, 1512 AD.
On the specified date, Devachandra Deva, a Jain teacher of Panasoge bali, a small village in KR Nagara in Mysuru installed the idol.
Panasoge was a famous Jain centre in 11th and 12th centuries.
Devachandra hailed from the district and was the disciple of Lalita Keerti, a Jain teacher of the region.
It is learnt that in the 11th century, there were around 60 Jain temples in Panasoge and Lalita Keerti was a prominent teacher.
At present, only one Jain temple exists in the area, Murugeshi said.
The inscription may be small in nature, but has significance, he said.
It indirectly indicates the Shaiva and Jain conflicts in Mysuru region.
Due to the religious conflict, Jains migrated to the Malnad region and moved towards the coast, Murugeshi said.
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Gauhati HC issues notice to Assam CM in PILs alleging 'hate speech'
Guwahati (PTI): The Gauhati High Court on Thursday issued a notice to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in connection with a bunch of PILs, accusing him of giving "hate speech" and making "communal comments" against the 'Miya' community.
Notices were also issued to the state government and the DGP in connection with three different petitions on the matter.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury heard the three petitions.
The court fixed March 21 as the next date of hearing.
"The respondents have to reply to the notices before the next date. The court has not issued any other order," Advocate Santanu Borthakur, who assisted the counsels for one of the petitioners, told PTI.
One petition was filed by Assamese litterateur Hiren Gohain, former DGP Harekrishna Deka and senior journalist Paresh Malakar on February 24. The CPI and CPI(M) had also filed separate petitions on February 21, seeking to restrain the CM from making such comments.
The Supreme Court on February 16 refused to entertain petitions seeking action against Sarma over a viral video purportedly showing him taking aim and firing with a rifle at members of a particular community.
'Miya' is originally a pejorative term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, and the non-Bengali-speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants. In recent years, activists from the community have started adopting the term as a gesture of defiance.
