Acharya Nemichandra Siddhant Chakravarti

Chavundaraya played a main role in making Shravanabelagola a great place. Chavundaraya, who was the minister of the Ganga dynasty king Rachamalla of Talakadu, the prime minister, the general, the military commander, had many titles such as Samara Dhurandara, Veeramarthanda,Viri Kula Martaka,Droragaghta. From this we come to know that how powerfull he was. In this sacred place, the statue of Bhagwan Lord Bahubali Swami was sculpted on the peak of Vindhyagiri Hill, making the holy site world famous.

He is also affectionately called Gommata by his mother,Kalaladevi. His family included his father Mahabalayya, his wife Ajitadevi, and his son Jina Devanna, all of them were deeply rooted in religious traditions. His mother Kalaladevi played a main role in the engraving of the statue of Bhagwan Lord Bahubali Swami, while his son Jina Devanna, built the Basadi of Lord Parshvanatha. Chavundaraya was also a poet. He gave up many things and lived a simple life towards the end of his days. He donated his wealth to the poor and sacrificed his body at Shravanabelagola. As a mark of respect, his footprints are still preserved on Vindhyagiri. The poet Ranna, one of the three Ratna poets, was his close friend. In addition to commissioning the statue of Gommata, Chavundaraya wrote the ‘Trishasti Shalaka Purusha Purana,’ also known as ‘Chavundaraya Purana’. He also constructed the Basadi of Lord Neminatha, known as Chavundaraya Basadi.

To safeguard the statue of Bhagwan Lord Bahubali, he established a monastery and appointed his guru, Achraya Nemichandra Siddhanta Chakravarti, as the first head of the monastery.