Humcha / Hombuja is a small town near Ripponpet, Hosanagara taluk in Shimoga district in the Indian state of Karnataka.

[1] Other notable highlights of the place are a lake that reputedly never dries up and a tree that likewise always remains green.

Edgar Thurston mentions that the Bhairarasas or Santaras were among the powerful Bunt[2] chiefs who seem to have exercised control over a greater part of the Tuluva country before the rise of the Vijayanagara Empire.

The Santaras were Jains and had matrimonial relations with the Saivite Alupa royal family of the canara region.

The Santaras built a number of Jain monuments and were responsible for the spread of Jainism in the Tulu Nadu and Malenadu region of Karnataka.

The dynasty passed into oblivion after invasions by the Nayakas of Keladi and later by Hyder Ali The Bhattaraka seat at Humcha, famous for the Humcha Padmavati temple, was founded in the 8th century AD, during the reign of Jinadatta Raya, founder of the ruling dynasty of Santara.

[4][5] Vikrama Santha had built a separate residence to his guru Mouni Siddantha Bhattaraka of kunda Kundanvaya tradition in 897 A.D.

An inscription of A.D. 1103 states that Malla Santha in memory of his wife Veera Abbarasi and in honour to his Guru Vadigaratta Ajithasena Pandita Deva had laid the foundation stone of a temple at Hombuja.

Veerasantha (A.D. 1172) who succeeded Nanniyaganga was called as "Jinadevana Charana Kamalgala Bhrama" as a mark of respect to his contribution to Jainism.

In 1048 AD, the Mahamandaleshwara Chandarayarus made a donation to a Bhattaraka of Balagara-gana at Balligame near Banavasi in present-day Karnataka.

It has seats at Surat, Idar, Ajmer, Jaipur, Chittor, Nagaur, Delhi, Gwalior, Chanderi, Sironj and many other places.

There are perhaps hundreds of thousands of Tirthankara idols, spread across the country from Surat to Decca (in Bangladesh), bearing inscriptions mentioning this order.

[7] An annual Rathayatra Mahotsava of Lord Parshwanatha and Goddess Padmavati is held with other programmes at Humcha during the months of March/April under the guidance of Devendrakeerthi Bhattarakha Swamiji.