________________ VASALI, THE BIRTHPLACE OF LORD MAHAVIRA YOGENDRA MISHRA, M. A , SAHITYARATNA It is an irony to find that the Jains of modern times do not know correctly where Mahavira Vardhamana, their twenty-fourth Tirthankara, was born. Some of them regard Ksatriyakunda and Licchuar (or Licchavar) in the Monghyr district (near Lakkhisarai Junction) as Mahavira's birthplace; others, especially the Digambaras, regard Kundalapura, a village two miles from Nalanda, as the place where the great Jaina prophet was born. Evidently both the views are wrong and based on misconception and an incorrect reading of the Jain Scriptures. As a matter of fact, Mabavira was born at Kundagrama near Vaisali (Basadha in the Hajipur sub-division of Muzaffarpur district). Kundagrama is represented by Basukunda these days. Our arguments for regarding Basukunda and Vaisali as Mahavira's birthplace and discarding Licchuar-Ksatriyakunda or Kundalapura as such are as follows : 1. Mabavira is also known as Videba, Videhadatta, Videhasukumala and Vaisalika. This indicates that he was born not in Anga (near Lakkhisarai Junction in the Mongbyr district) or Magadha (near Nalanda), but in Videba and at Vaisali. All scholars agree that Vaigali, the ancient Liccbavi capital, is represented by Basadha. 2. Videha is north of the Ganges, while the modern Ksatriyakunda is south of the Ganges. Thus the so-called birthplace of Mabavira is not situated in Videha. 3. In the ancient Jain books Ksatriyakunda is shown near Vaisali. The modern so-called Ksatriyunda bas no Vaigali near it. 4. There is a nala near the present Ksatriyakunda; this cannot be the Gandak. The Gandak river flows near Vaisali even today.
