Samrat Chandragupta Maurya

Emperor Chandragupta, the founder of the Maurya dynasty, established a unified Indian empire. While ruling from his capital in Ujjain, he once had the opportunity to meet and offer food to the last Shrutakevali, the revered Acharya Bhadrabahu. Chandragupta Maurya then experiences 16 ominous dreams. When he consults Bhadrabahu for their interpretation, the acharya explains that the dreams foretell a severe famine in North India. Additionally, Bhadrabahu mentions that he too received a divine sign in the form of a baby lying in a cradle — a symbolic warning.

As a result, Acharya Bhadrabahu, along with a sangha (group) of 12,000 Jain monks, begins a journey towards South India, intending to uphold the strict practices of the Jain monastic code (Mahavrata). Emperor Chandragupta Maurya, renouncing all his royal glory, becomes a Jain monk himself under the name Prabhachandra Muni and joins the monastic group heading south.

They arrive and settle on the Chandragiri hill in Shravanabelagola, located in the Hassan district of present-day Karnataka. The omniscient Bhadrabahu, being aware of the date of his own death, sends the other monks across South India to spread Jain philosophy and to attain spiritual liberation. Prabhachandra Muni (Chandragupta Maurya) remains with Bhadrabahu, performing austerities.

 

After Bhadrabahu achieves liberation through the Jain practice of Sallekhana (a peaceful, voluntary death through fasting), Prabhachandra Muni too undertakes Sallekhana and attains salvation at the same location.

The hill, which was known over 2300 years ago as Kalvappu or Katavapra, was later renamed Chandragiri by Emperor Ashoka — the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya — in honor of his grandfather.