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Jainism was born in Bihar in East India. When there was a great famine it is said that saint Bhadrabahu along with his followers, came to Karnataka. The ruler of the Maurya empire of the time Chandragupta, who considered Bhadrabahu a saint, followed him and also undertook a fast unto death. This place is the holiest Jain pilgrim centre in Karnataka. With the patronage of the later West Ganga dynasty many Jain temples were built on two rocky hills. The Gommatesvara statue built on Vindhyagiri in 981 attracted a lot of people and became an important pilgrimage centre. It is said that Gommateswara the son of Adinatha, the first Tirthankara, stood without moving in meditation for such a long time to uphold the doctrine of non-possessiveness, that white ants built their nest around him. This is the legend around the statue. At the foot of the hill are three noteworthy structures: a large tank, a Jain Matha (monastery) and the Hoysala Akhanda temple.
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