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ARABIA On the advent of Islam, idols of Alat Manat, Azzah and Habbal were destroyed in Arabia.[ 57]. Possibly thse idols were of Adinath. Alat-Manat appears to be contraction of Nem nath, the 22" Tirthankara. Habbal stands for Bahubali, the second son of Lord Rishabh Nath (Adinath). Azzah is from Ajit nath. Dr. Helmuth von Glassenap (54], supports the view saying that Jain teachers went to Arabia to preach Jainism there before Hazzarat Mohammad Sahib.
According to Jain traditionthis was done by Samprati , the mauryan Samrat, the grandson of Asoka, who established centers of Jain culture in Arabia and Persia. (Indian Express dated 24/11/59. Formerly jains were many in numbers in Arabia but about 2500 years ago a terrible persecution took place at Mecca by orders of a king named Parshiva Bhattark which forced a great number to come to South India.
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