________________
devotees of Rishabh Naath - the first Tirthankar. There is absolutely no doubt that Jain religion existed well before Vardhaman and Parshvanaath; Yajurveda refers to the names of three Tirthankars viz. Rishabh Naath, Ajit Naath and Arishtanemi. Bhaagwat Puran corroborates that Rishabhadeva was the founder of Jain religion".
Among the ancient stone inscriptions, noteworthy is the inscription in elephant caves of Khand-giri and Udaigiri in Orissa. This 2100 years old ancient inscription by Jain Emperor Kharwel depicts that King Nand, predecessor of Pushyamitra, the Emperor of Magadha, after conquering Kalinga around 423 B.C. brought as victory gift the idol of Rishabhadeva. Three hundred years after King Nand, King Kharwel of Kalinga invaded Magadha and brought the idol back. Prior to the period of Kharwel, there had been the temple of Arihants at Udaigiri hill and references have been found in the motifs of Kharwel.
The first Tirthankar of Jain religion and its founder Bhagavan Rishabh Naath (or Adinaath) and his son Bharat find mention in Markandeya, Agni, Vayu, Garud, Brahmand, Varah, Ling, Vishnu and Skand puranas. Rishabhadeva is described as the son of King Nabhi and Queen Maru Devi.
It is worth mentioning that noted historian Dr. Radha Kumud Mukerjea in his book "Hindu Civilization" has referred to the ancient coins of Indus Valley civilization depicting Jain ascetic idols in meditation resembling the idol of Rishabhadeva preserved in the Mathura museum going back to 2nd century. It is also interesting that like the idols of "Nirgranthas" found in the excavations at Mohanjodaro, at Harappa also idols of Gods have been found in the naked form.
Historically later, Chetak, the King of Vaishali in Bihar, King Bimbisar (Shrenik in Jain literature) the famous of Emperor of Magadha and later Emperor Chandra Gupta Maurya were great promoters of Jain religion. In fact Emperor Chandra Gupta later
Jain Education International
Ahimsa: The Ultimate Winner
★ (210)
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
