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kilometre downward course. At different places of the river bank and at the confluence with Indravatt, a large number of Jaina temples were built.
Jainism is an atheistic religion. It is devoid of rituals and gives prime place to non-violence. It must have become very difficult for the Chindak Naga Kings to establish Jaina shrines and persuade the tribals to take to the path of non-violence and non-ritualism. They seem to have decided to select the places where tribal worship was being performed either for the manuli (the indistinct wooden God) Bhima, the Gangama or the ancestral deity (Gotara). The tribals mostly propitiated their wood gods, stick gods, stone gods or tree gods by different types of sacrifices. With a view to attract the tribals to Jaina worship, the kings, traders and generals constructed temples at the places of worship of tribal deities.
An interesting Bhima worship (wooden god), prevalent even today, indicates the path taken by the torch-bearers of the Gondas for coming from Bastar to Kotpada (15 km. inside Orissa border from M.P.), who took about seven days and then lighted a fire for the festival. Along this route, many Jaina temples were constructed.
Even today, broken Jaina temples exist at the places of Gotara (ancestor worship), at places of Meria (Human sacrifice) and tribal Landi. Landi is a type of dance mostly popular among the Paraja and Gadbas at Korāpūta, being held a place of buffalo sacrifice.
A synthesis was brought about between the somewhat obsolete and brutal ways of sacrifice and the Jaina way of belief. By the time Jaina religion came to Koraputa, Jaina Tantricism had quite a sway. Parasvanatha, the twentythird Tirthankara, was designated as Bhairava and Padmavatt, the attendant Sasana Devi of Paraśvanatha, as Bhairavi. In some Jaina Tantrika treatises Ambika, the attendent Sasana Devt of Neminatha, the twenty second Tirthankara, is also termed as Bhairavi. Ambika is the prototype of the Buddhist Heruka. She is supposed to protect young childern. She is of yellow colour and holds a fruit or flower in one hand, one child on the waist and another child standing below. Devi Ambika suited the psyche of the tribals most. The serpent hood of Parasvanatha also atracted the imagination of the tribals.
The Jaina Paraśvanatha Tirthankara and Ambika were inducted into the life-crises rites and cyclic group rites of the tribals. However, ancestral and totemic rites were left untouched by Jaina religious influence. A large number of Ambika idols sprang up in Koraputa area. The most beautiful Tribhanga Ambika is available at Deorli. The second most beautiful and quite important Ambika is at Kecla on the bank of Kolava. The third one is at Ampabali, on the border of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. Other Ambikas are scattered in different places. Most of the Ambikas are propitiated by sacrifices. White
Arhat Vacana, January 99
51
| SR No. | 526541 |
| Book Title | Arhat Vachan 1999 01 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Anupam Jain |
| Publisher | Kundkund Gyanpith Indore |
| Publication Year | 1999 |
| Total Pages | 112 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Classification | Magazine, India_Arhat Vachan, & India |
| File Size | 8 MB |