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ધન્ય ધરાઃ
Rishabha attained Nirvana on Kailas Giri. To commemorats his sacred memory. Bharata built a golden temple at Kailas and installed and image of Rishabha. Image of Rishabha. Image worship commenced from that day. There is much evidence in the scriptures to prove this fact.
Image worship and devotional religion were prevalent in India long before the Aryans set their foot in the Gangas Valley. The MAHA PURANA and the TRISAHTI-SALAKA PURSHA CHARITRA have refered to the memorials for offering worship to Rishabha. KSHETRA PUJA and BHAKTHIMARG had been and ancient religious institution in India. There are also authentic references to image worship in the BHAGAVATI SUTRA, the UPASHAKDASANG SUTRA, and many other sacred scriptures. These facts prove the howry antiquity of image worship in India.
There is authentic evidence to prove that it was the Phoenicians who spread the worship of Rishabha in Central Asia, Egypt and Greece. He was worshipped as "Bull God" in the features of a nude Yogi. The ancestors of Egyptians originally belonged to India. The Phoenicians and extensive cultura and trade relations with India in the prehistoric days. In foreign countries. Rishabha was called in different names like Resheb, Apollp, Tesheb, Ball, and the Bull God of the Mediterranean people. The Phoenicians worshipped Rishabha regarded as Appollo by the Greeks. Reshef has been identified as Rishabha, the son Nabhi and Marudevi, and Nabhi has been identified with the Chaldean God Nabhi and Maru Devi with Murri i Iru. Rishabhadeva of the Armenians was undoubtedly Rishabha, the First Thirthankara of the Jains. A city in Syria is known as Rishaba. In Society Armenal was a town called Techabani. The Babylonion city of Isbekzur seems to be a corrupt from of Rishabhapur. Besides the Phoenicians.
Accadia, Sumeria and Mesopatomia had trade and cultural relations with the indus valley and they carried the Rishabha cult to their lands. There is much evidence to prove that maritime relations existed between Greece and India. According to Greek Writers, a saint of Taxasila called Kolynos of Kalyanaswami accompained Alaxendar to Greece and lived at Athen for a number of years. Kalyanaswami has been identified as a Jaina ascetic. He committed Sallekhana in Alhens. A bronze image of Reshef (Rishabha) of the 12th century B.C. was discovered at Alasia near Enkomi in Cyprus. An ancient Greek imag- of Appollo resembled Thirthankara Rishabha. The images of Rishabha were found at Malayasia, Boghaz Keui and also in the monument of Isbukjur as the chief deity of the Hittite pantheon. Excavations in Soviet Armenia at Karmir-Blur near Erivan on the site of the ancient Urartian city of Teshabani have underthed some images including one bronze statuete of Rishabha. Many other relics of Rishabha have been discoverd in some of the foreign countries, and illustrates articles on some of them have appeared in the Indian press. These countries adopted the doctrines of Jainism and also the Bramhi script. The Indus Valley script, the ancient script of the Hebrews of Palestine, the ancient heirohlyphics of Egypt, the ancient Chinese script and the Sumerian script closely respelled the Brahmi script. The preColumbian civilization of America had its origin in India. The four outstanding ancient cultures of the old European World prevalent in America, the Fuebic of the South West, the Aztec of the Valleys and the highlands of Mexico, the Maya culture of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, and the Inca cultures of ancient Egypt, Mesapotomia and the Indus Valley of India.
A Jaina Sutra in Chinese language was found by Prof. Nakamura of the Tokio
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