________________
Laukika or Folk Religion As an Iconographic Link Between
The Indus Culture and Jainism
Robert DeCaroli University of California, L.A.
The Jain mendicant Somadeva employed the term laukika in the tenth century in order to differentiate between the two duties of the laity. According to him, laukika refers to ones's connections to worldly affairs and customs while paralaukika refers to what one learns from the words of the Jina. Somadeva goes on to explore which aspects of laukika are acceptable to the Jain laity and in so doing defines for us a range of popular religious practices aimed at improving one's worldly condition and alleviating material concerns. From Somadeva's words, as well as from many earlier Jain, Buddhist and Hindu textual and physical evidence, we know of a widespread form of worship practiced by both the common folk and kings which was directed towards the appeasement and honouring of local deities. These deities make up the vast pantheon of India's chtonic devas whose ranks include the wealth-granting yaksas, the seductive yaksis, watery nagas and apsaras, the fierce kinnaras and pisacas and a host of various other figures like gandharvas, bhutas and raksasas. Together, these deities infuse the landscape with supernatural
22 For Private & Personal Use Only
Jain Education International
www.jainelibrary.org
