#Kind_attention_Humcha_jain_monestry
#Gerusoppe_jain_queen_chennabyradevi_tomb_renovation
#Queens_ruled_fort_at_kanoor_still_in_forest_land
#Queens_descendent_family_still_at_Henne_jogfalls
#Hombuja #jain #pepperqueen #avinahalli #sagar #shivamogga #karnataka #chennabairadevi #gerusoppe
This is the first article written on September 20, 2003, describing the descendants of the Jain Queen of Gerusoppe and the location of Queen Chennabairadevi’s tomb.
Queen Chennabairadevi, known as the Pepper Queen, has her tomb located at Avinahalli in Sagar Taluk.
Her descendants still live in a village called Henne, situated below Jog Falls in the same taluk.
The Jain queen Chennabairadevi, who ruled from Gerusoppe, collected and processed black pepper from the Western Ghats and exported it to European countries.
More research should be conducted on her life and achievements so that additional historical information about the Queen can be published.
Near Jog Falls, within the dense forest, lies the Kanuru Fort, which the Archaeological Department has not yet taken under its custody,it still remains with the Forest Department.
The Sharavathi River, which plunges dramatically at Jog Falls, flows calmly through the valley of Gerusoppe, the central region of Queen Chennabairadevi’s kingdom.About 400 years ago.
ships from various countries would reach Gerusoppe by sailing up the Sharavathi River from the Arabian Sea at Honnavar, load black pepper there, and then sail back to Europe.
The famous novelist Ganeshayya, along with local historians, recently wrote a fictionalized story inspired by the Queen #Balli_Kaala_Belli which is based on a true event about the failed attempt of an international mafia group to steal the Queen’s hidden treasure.
This book popularized the legend of Gerusoppe’s Pepper Queen. Likewise, the large historical novel written by Gajanan Sharma from this region brought new light to the Queen’s legacy.
Both these books revived public discussion about Queen Chennabairadevi and her kingdom.
It is also said that during a great war, a ship filled entirely with silver, named after Gerusoppe, sank in the Indian Ocean; the treasure aboard was believed to belong to Queen Chennabairadevi.
After the fall of her prosperous kingdom, Queen Chennabairadevi was captured by Keladi ruler Venkatappa Nayaka and imprisoned for the rest of her life in the fortress at Ikkeri.
Her tomb at Avinahalli in Sagar Taluk has been converted into a temple by local residents.
It is a remarkable historical site that deserves preservation by the Shivamogga district administration and the Department of Archaeology.
The Jain monastery at Humcha should also take an active interest in protecting the Queen’s tomb and ensuring that the Kanuru Fort currently under the Forest Department’s control is handed over to Archaeology for proper preservation.
The Queen’s descendants presently live in Henne village near Jog Falls. Among them, #Lokaraja_Jain, a member of the Salvekula family, formerly served as a teacher at Tumari High School and is now teaching at Shiravante High School.
He has collected several unpublished records about Queen Chennabairadevi and hopes to compile them into a book.
These stories have been passed down through generations within his family.
The oil painting shared here depicts Queen Chennabairadevi of Gerusoppe.
It hangs on the wall of the lecture hall at the Lakshmi Sena Bhattaraka’s monastery in Simhagadde, Narasimharajapura Taluk, Chikkamagaluru district.
Translation by:#Dr_S_G._Samak Shimoga.
Special thanks to Dr Samak for translation of my kannada articles in Facebook
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