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EARLIEST JAINA INSCRIPTION FROM MAHARASHTRA
Only in one case (959), where the inscription is said to be in a Buddhist cave at Rajgir. But the actual record refers only to the worship of the images of the Arhat.1
Thus though the word Arahat means both a Jina and a Buddhist monk, still in a overwhelming majority of cases, the word stands for a Jaina tīrthanakra in the first place, or failing that Jaina monks. Very rarely it refers to the Buddha or Buddhist monks or to the Buddhist in general. Moreover, Arahat suffixed or preceded by Namo could only occur in a Jaina record, devoted to the worship of Jina, and not to Buddha. For at this early period, Buddhists did not worship Buddha in the anthropometric form, while the Jainas worshipped the Jinas or Tirthankaras. Hence it is much later than the Buddhists adopted this invocation or mangalacarana.
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Taking all this evidence, positive and negative, viz. of the occurrence of the expression Namō Arahamta or only Arahamta or Arahata in Jaina records from Mathura, Pabhosa, and Udayagiri, and the complete absence of this expression from the early caves of Western Maharashtra, we reach an inescapable conclusion that in the Pale cave we have the earliest Jaina record in Maharashtra if relying on its palaeographical features, we place the record in the 1st century B.C.
The word Katuna, Indarakhita and Kahi need some comments.
Katuna or Katunam is explained or interpreted by Professor M. A. Mehendale as an absolutive form for Kṛtva (having done or made). For such an usage we may cite from Aśoka's CalcuttaBairat edict the expression.
A reference to the index in the Lüders' List shows that though there are some 12 personal names with the Inda as the first part but this is the first time that it is found suffixed by rakhita. This name shows, as pointed out by the first author,
1.
Luders' List No. 959 citing Cunningham., Mahabodhi, p 59 and pl. XXVII C.
M.M.-50
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