Introduction to Jainism

SR No.: 006919
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Rudi Jansma, Sneh Rani Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy
Publication Year: 2006
Total Pages: 256
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 5 MB

Page 223

THE FOURTEEN-FOLD PATH TO FREEDOM
205
2350 years ago, the temple named Kattale Vasadi with sculptures of Parsvanāth and of yakshas and yakshinīs – these are local male and female celestials which devote themselves to serving a Jina - was reportedly added by Emperor Chandragupta Maurya himself.
Another good example of Jain art consists of the wall paintings in some of their old temples. The Jina-Kanchi temple near Kanjivaram in Tamil Nadu contains over 2000 year old wall and ceiling paintings depicting Prathamanuyoga stories - karma and reincarnation stories. The Matha temple in Śravana Belagola shows paintings which are almost 2000 years old depicting samavasaram – the birth of a Tīrthamkara – and events from the lives of Bāhubali. We also find well preserved paintings on the walls of the more than 2500 year old caves of Thirumalai in Tamil Nadu. In old temple walls on the Vindhyagiri we find painted elephants and horses in red and white which look as if they were made yesterday, but were actually made more than 1100 years ago (photo 23).
Many images were made of precious or semiprecious stone and kept in temples only to be shown on particular occasions. Most of such sculptures are of the first Tīrthamkara, Rishabha. Often miracles are connected with such statues which the people regard as inexplicable mysteries. In our day, too, there still exist mystery statues which produce actual miracles, as we have seen in chapter 8. Such large blocks of precious or semi-precious stone, might sell for millions of dollars or euros or crores of rupees, and many people in the world would rather not see them converted into religious idols to be donated to a temple. But this is exactly what the Jains did and do, because they realize that the inner value of the soul is priceless and worth much more than any worldly gain, which they regard as merely worthless dust. To understand that, one almost needs to be born as a Jain. A real Jain attaches no value to a dead body, and not even to his own living body. Therefore there are no Jain burial places, graves