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ground or raison d'être for the Jainas in deciding the number of their tirthankaras to be 24, as we have lengthily discussed above. In the medieval Jaina sculptures, there arise the 72 tirthankaras (24 x 3, i.e. past, present and future), 170 or 172 tirthankaras and 1,000 tirthankaras beside the 24 tirthankaras.A 44
44. A. Ghosh, ed.. Ibid., v.3, p.485
JAIN JOURNAL: VOL XXIX, NO 1, JULY 1994
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