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________________ Jaina Kings in India - Prof. Satya Ranjan Banerjee From the pages of Indian history, we know that there were some Jaina kings in the past. From hoary antiquity down to the 15th century A.D. there were some Jaina kings who ruled for sometime in the annals of Indian history. In the pre-Vedic and Vedic history, the Tirthankaras were the rulers. But they have all renounced the world, owing to the impermanent nature of life leaving aside the kingdom to their sons and grandsons. The Rsabhadeva was the first Tirthanka who ruled this world for many years and introduced the agriculture system and other aspects connected with it. All other Tirthankaras, from Ajit to Nami, i.e. from the second to the twenty first, equally ruled India and made some progress of the country. But as their history is not yet clear to us, we do not know their contributions a rulers. During the late Vedic period (i.e. from 1000-600 B.C., i.e., from the period of the Brahmanas, Aranyakas and the Upanisads) came three Tirthankaras, such as, Aristanemi (1000 B.C.), Parsvanatha (817 B.C.) and Mahavira (599-527 B.C.). The social and political conditions of India in those days were somewhat trirbulent. In fact, we do not know anything about Aristanemi except the fact that he was a relative to Krsna who is considered a historical puran belonging to 1000 B.C., and so also Aristanemi. It is said that Parsvanatha was the real reformer of Jainism and Mahavira gave a final shape to it. It is from Mahavira that we know the history of Jainism uninterruptedly. In the 4th century B.C. at the time of Maurya Chandragupta (324-300 B.C.), there was a femine for twelve years which made a group of people led by Bhadrabahu migrated to the south, particularly to Sravana-Belagola (Mysore) which had established Jainism in the south. The Maurya Chandragupta, it is said by the Jains, was a Jaina and died in the south. Asoka (273-236 B.C.), The grandson of Chandragupta, succeeded to the throne of Patliputra, Even though the Jains say that Asoka was a Jaina, There was no significant achievement of Jainism in his time. So for the history of Jainism in Based on some facts which we will have to ransack from the pages o history and which are overlaid with contovesialand contradictory views. But the real Jaina king was kharavela who ruled in the 3d, 2nd century B.C. in Orissa. -203
| SR No. | 032866 |
| Book Title | Jain Vidya Ke Vividh Aayam |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Fulchandra Jain |
| Publisher | Gommateshwar Bahubali Swami Mahamastakabhishek Mahotsav Samiti |
| Publication Year | 2006 |
| Total Pages | 216 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Classification | Book_Devnagari |
| File Size | 21 MB |