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Corpus of Koppaļa Inscriptions / 69
a clear and well defined picture of the Nirgrantha activities based on epigraphical evidences and avoided the course of indulging in surmises.
The bulk of information from the corpus will help to extricate the Jaina from the Hindu and to place them in proper perspective of seperate and independent identity. Usually Jainas are mentioned as if they are an offshoot of the dominant Hindu majority. The Sramana culture had been an independent entity through centuries, but always a part of the main stream. At certain phase there came a decline, a nemises in which the jaina vestiges were mutilated and its rich heritage reduced to dust; albeit, the non-extinct evidences of stone still continue to speak vociferate from the dust.
In brief, Niśidhi columns are dharmā-jaya-stambhas, pillars of the victory of religion. Jainas have been using t word 'Dharma' in a very broader sense, with a special significance to denote the basic innate/intrinsic principle of motion, analogus with the time of Rgveda, as far back as seventh-sixth century B.C. (Srivastava, S: The Antiquarian Significance of some of Jaina philosophy, 'Rūpänjali': 1983: 135)
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