Origin from 850
Roughly four centuries after Devarddhi-gani redacted the Svetambara canon at Valabhi in 453, already recorded here, and roughly a century and a third before Chavundaraya consecrated the Gommateshvara statue at Shravanabelagola in 981, also recorded here, the Digambara monk and scholar Jinasena, working at the court of the Rashtrakuta emperor Amoghavarsha the First in the Deccan, composed the Adipurana, a Sanskrit epic narrating the life of Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara, and his sons. Jinasena held the position of rajaguru, royal spiritual preceptor, to Amoghavarsha, who is remembered as beginning his court duties each morning with salutations toward his guru's monastery and who spent his final years in religious retreat under Jinasena's guidance after decades on the throne. Jinasena died around 850 with the Adipurana still unfinished, and his disciple Gunabhadra completed the work's remaining sections, together known as the Mahapurana, the Digambara tradition's Universal History. Composed under direct royal patronage at the height of Rashtrakuta power, the Adipurana became a foundational text of Jain Sanskrit literature and, a century later, the literary model for the Kannada poet Pampa's own retelling of Rishabhanatha's life.
Facts
Dates
StatusEstablished marks Jinasena's composition of the Adipurana at Amoghavarsha's Rashtrakuta court, dated to around 850, a specific milestone between Devarddhi-gani redacting the Svetambara canon at Valabhi in 453 already recorded here and Chavundaraya consecrating the Gommateshvara statue at Shravanabelagola in 981 also recorded here. Connections
Associated With
This source names Deccan directly: "emperor Amoghavarsha the First in the Deccan, composed the Adipurana, a Sanskrit epic narrating the life of Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara, and his sons."
Source Paul Dundas, The Jains (Routledge, Second Edition)Paul Dundas
This source names Digambara directly: "in 981, also recorded here, the Digambara monk and scholar Jinasena, working at the court of the Rashtrakuta emperor Amoghavarsha the First in the Deccan, composed the Adipurana, a Sanskrit epic..."
Source Paul Dundas, The Jains (Routledge, Second Edition)Paul Dundas
This source names Rishabhanatha directly: "a Sanskrit epic narrating the life of Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara, and his sons."
Source Paul Dundas, The Jains (Routledge, Second Edition)Paul Dundas
This source names Shravanabelagola directly: "the Gommateshvara statue at Shravanabelagola in 981, also recorded here, the Digambara monk and scholar Jinasena, working at the court of the Rashtrakuta emperor Amoghavarsha the First in the..."
Source Paul Dundas, The Jains (Routledge, Second Edition)Paul Dundas
This source names Shravanabelagola directly: "the Gommateshvara statue at Shravanabelagola in 981, also recorded here, the Digambara monk and scholar Jinasena, working at the court of the Rashtrakuta emperor Amoghavarsha the First in the..."
Source Paul Dundas, The Jains (Routledge, Second Edition)Paul Dundas
This source names Valabhi directly: "redacted the Svetambara canon at Valabhi in 453, already recorded here, and roughly a century and a third before Chavundaraya consecrated the Gommateshvara statue at Shravanabelagola in 981, also..."
Source Paul Dundas, The Jains (Routledge, Second Edition)Paul Dundas
Occurred In
Source Paul Dundas, The Jains (Routledge, Second Edition)Paul Dundas
Spread Event Of
Adds a milestone in Digambara Jain history between Devarddhi-gani redacting the Svetambara canon at Valabhi in 453 and Chavundaraya consecrating the Gommateshvara statue at Shravanabelagola in 981, both already recorded here: Jinasena's composition of the Adipurana at the Rashtrakuta emperor Amoghavarsha's court, a foundational text of Jain Sanskrit literature completed after Jinasena's death by his disciple Gunabhadra.
Source Paul Dundas, The Jains (Routledge, Second Edition)Paul Dundas
Sources
1. Paul Dundas, The Jains (Routledge, Second Edition)
Paul Dundas, Routledge (Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices)View the Source Jinasena (Wikipedia)
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