Shilahar Dynasty:
                                                                                    - By Prof. Yashwant Malaiya, Colorado US

One of the rulers of this dynasty was Gonka. An inscription at Teradal mentions that Gonka was healed from snakebite by a Jain monk and Gonk had built a temple of Lord Neminath. Many Jain temples in that region were built in the next couple of century are called Gonka-Jinalya after him. During the reign of Bhoja I, a dynamic Acharya Maghanandi helped establish an institute at Rupanarayana-Basadi. Several of the kings and nobles of the dynasty were disciples of Maghanandi. Maghanandi is often called Siddhanta-chakravarti ie the great master of the scriptures. He is sometimes called "Kolapuriya" to distinguish him from many other Acharyas with the name Maghanandi.

Maghanandi belonged to a distinguised lineage of Acharayas of Deshiya- Gana Pustaka Gachchha. One of his predecessors of Gollachaya, who was once a king. The Bhattarakas of Shravenbelgola and Mudabidri belong to the same lineage .

Just like pairs Hemachandra Suri and king Kumarpal, Nemichandra Acharya and Chamundaraya. Kolhapur has a famous Acharya-devotee pair.A legendary account of Maghanadi and Shilahara king Gandraaditya of Kolhapur occurs in "Jainacharya Parampara Mahima". It mentions 770 Jain shrines being built by Gandaditya and 770 disciple monks of Maghanadi. Many of the inscriptions in Kolhapur and nearby places attest to this relationship. Gandaraditya had built a temple "Tribhuvan Tilak" for Lord Nemi at Arjurika, where Somadeva composed "ShabdarNava-Chandrika" (guide to a lexicon). Like Ashoka Maurya, El Kharvel etc, he was supported all religions. In one inscription he is called "sarva-darshan-chakshuha" i.e. viewer of all points of view. His general Nimbadeva was also a devoted Jain. A Kolhapura inscription at the MahaLakshmi temple (it has 72 Jinas carved on the shikhar) mentions a Jain temple made by Nimbadeva.

His son Vijayaditya was a disciple of Manikyanandi, the successor of Acharya Maghanandi. Several inscriptions mention donations by Vijayaditya and his generals to Jain institutions. A brahmin Vasudeva, a dependant of a general Kamadeva of Vijayaditya, had built a temple to Lord Parshvanath .