Kalya

THE FORGOTTEN JERUSALEM OF KARNATAKA

Jerusalem-The city which nurtured the three most popular religions of the world is a place fervently revered by the Christians,Muslims and Jews equally and is a melting syncretic pot of cultures of the east and the west.

Jeruslalem with all it's charm and glory is not forgotten and people with their eyes forged in blind faith are still fighting for the land of none.

Everyone knows about this though,but did you know there was a place in our state of Karnataka which nourished all religions as the holy land did but now covered with rocky outcrops and dust but has stood the wrath of time.

Let me introduce to you,

Kalya,a small rustic village in Magadi in the Ramanagara District of Karnataka has had such amazing forgotten history laid buried in it's soil.

Kallinatha temple 

In it's soil is burried the stories of tolerance and resistance alike,Kalya in ancient times(8^th CE) was known as Kalavathi Pattana,in a 16^th Century inscription describes it as “Bauddha Vasa Mahapuri Kalavati”.It is said that in it's heyday this was one of the most flourishing medieval Buddhist centre.

One unknown head sculpture in Kalleshwara temple is supposedly identified as a Buddhist antiquary¹.

After the decline of Buddhism,Jainsim took its place,in it's day,this gloomy town is said to have housed 64 basadis and a Jain University,but today a 5m tall Manasthambha is all that remains and a nishidhi stone and a sculpture of Parshvanatha tirthankara is supposedly housed in the Janapada Loka musuem.

Kalleshwara Linga

Palkurike Somanatha's Gaddige

After this came the Veerashaiva,Srivaishnava and Madhwa religions.

This place has had a great extent of influence by the veerashaiva religion and this is one of the surviving religions in the village,the other being the Madhwa religion.

There is a Veerashaiva mutt established by Sarvashile Channamma,a sharane of the Lingayat sect.The mutt is rather beautiful in it's plainness,It is located on a small hillock and the gadduges or tombs of Channamma and other saints belonging the same sect.The celebrated Telugu poet Palkurike Somanatha is said to have visited this place to have darsana of the tomb shrine of channamma and even one small shrine is said to be the tomb of the great poet himself.

Jangama mutt

Kalavati pattana which was also called Kalleha or Kalya is also famed for it's Kalleshwara shiva temple which is in a natural cave.This temple had become prominent since the 16th century,to reach this temple one has to ascend some steps and this hillock also gives an amazing view of the village and is also very picturesque.

But of all this glorious past,there is one interesting fact about this village which makes it very interesting in the history of Karnataka.

That is one inscription of the 15th Century.

This inscription is a dispute resolution judgment between Jainas & Vaishnavas. There are reportedly at least two copies of this inscription - Shravanabelagola & Kalya. Copies of this sasana were supposed to be installed in all the basadis in the kingdom.

This inscription at Kalya is written a few days after the one at Sharavanbelagola and interestingly the word "killing" of Jainas by the Vaishnavas (bhaktas) is used in this one at Kalya whereas the word is not used in the one at Shravanabelagola.
The Jains of the kingdom complain to Bukkaraya about killings, destruction of basadis and other indignities caused by Vaishnavas.
In summary, in the inscription, King Bukkaraya places the hands of the Jainas in the hands of Vaishnavas and decrees that Jaina & Vaishnava are both equally valid religions and instructs Jainas to pay money (one hana per family per year) to the Vaishnavas who he appoints caretakers to the Jainas and entrusts the task of protecting basadis and the Jainas.

Bukkaraya's Inscription.

Today's India's Politics has used religion effectively to segregate and divide people for their cheap gains.This lesson of history is also a lesson that has to be learnt by today's Sangh parivar who has utilised the shallowness of religion to spread hate.

And it's history of acceptance should be learnt by us.

We might be thiests or athiests,belonging to different sects and religions but ultimately we all are humans and humanity is built on caring for each other inspite of our differences.

The soul of India lies only in its syncretic culture and Inclusiveness.

References:
1 Identification of Kalavati