Acharya Manatunga (c. seventh century CE) was the author of the Jain prayer Bhaktamara Stotra. His name only appears in the last stanza of the said prayer. He is also credited with composing another Śvetāmbara hymn titled Namiun Stotra or Bhayahara Stotra, an adoration of Parshvanatha.[1]
According to a Digambar legend, Manatunga composed the Bhaktamara Stotra when he was locked up in prison for failing to appear before the royal court of King Bhoja. A Śvetāmbara legend as stated in the 14th century text Prabandha-Chintamani says that he was locked up to test the mantric powers of Śvetāmbara Jain monks. As he composed each stanza of the Bhaktamara Stotra, the 44 (Śvetāmbara tradition) or 48 (Digambara tradition) locks of his chain were broken one by one.[2]
The Śvetāmbara literature contains extensively described biographies of Acharya Manatungsuri. The oldest mention of the legend of the composition of the Bhaktāmara Stotra is in Acharya Prabhachandrasuri's Prabhavakacarita written in 1277 AD.[3]
According to Prabhavakacarita, he was born in Varanasi. His father's name has been mentioned as Brahmakshatriya Dhandev. He was initiated by Acharya Jinsinhsuri of the Vanvaasi Gaccha of the Śvetāmbara Murtipujak sect. The place where he composed the Bhaktāmara Stotra is also Varanasi as stated in the 13th century text. The details provided in Prabhavakacarita are also corroborated by the Pattavali of Śvetāmbaras.
The second oldest mention of Manatungsuri is again a piece of Śvetāmbara literature, the 1305 text Prabandha-Chintamani authored by Merutungasuri.[4] Another mention is also found in Acharya Gunakarsuri's Bhaktamar Stotra Vritti written in 1370 AD.
Earliest mentions of Acharya Manatungsuri in Digambara literature can only be dated to 1665 AD in Bhaktamar Charit by Bhattaraka Vishwabhushan. Digambara Pattavalis, including the most popular ones like the one at Shravanabelagola Digambara temple do not mention Acharya Manatungsuri.