Jainism like Buddhism started around the Magadha region and then moved down to South India. One famous migration is that of Chandragupta Maurya (Asoka’s grandfather). At the end of his regime, there was a famine and he led an exodus from the Ganga Valley to the Deccan. He spent his last days in Shravanabelagola, in present day Karnataka and died of starvation.
Shravanabelagola has two hills, Chandragiri and Vindyagiri and it is believed that Chandragupta Maurya medidated and died in Chandragiri. Now two statues of Gomateshwara, both 1000 years old have been found at Kambadahalli, near Shravanbelgola.
The sculpting of the 58.8-feet-tall statue of Gommateshwara in Shravanbelogla in 981 AD depicts him with curly hair, whereas the Gommateshwara statues recovered before 981 AD show him as having long hair reaching the shoulders.
The statues recovered in Kambadahalli have long hair falling on the shoulders and tendrils encircling the thighs. This proves that the statues found have been sculpted before the 9th century, say historians.
“Kambadahalli is a historical Jain centre. More research is needed to shed light on the other statues and Jain temples, which were distorted at the end of the 17th century.[1,000-year-old Bahubali statues discovered ]
