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Jain Monumental Paintings of Ahmedabad
Dr. Shridhar Andhare
Pilgrimage is one of the primary institutions in India, which has exercised great influence on the minds of the people of all dimensions. According to Kashi Khanda of Skanda Puranal there are two kinds of Tirthas namely, Manas Tirtha and the Bhauma Tritha i.e. spirirtual and physical objects of pilgrimage. It is said that those whose minds are pure, who are men of virtue and those who are self controlled and saintly beings sanctify the places they visit and theniselves become peripatetic Tirthas. In the Tirtha Yatra chapters of Mahabharata? it is mentioned that,"It is the purity of mind and senses, wisdom, truth, freedom from anger, pride and sins and above all treating all creatures as their own selves is the essence of all pilgrimage."
In the second category of physical Tirthas are included the Dharma Tirtha i.e. places noted for men of learning; the Artha Tirtha i.e. centers of trade and industry on the banks of a confluence; the Kama Tirtha i.e. where men of worldly desires enjoyed life in full luxury and the Moksha Tirtha i.e. secluded spots among natural surrounding fit for meditation. More often all or more than one of the above factors nike a place famous as a place of pilgrimage such as Varanasi, Avanti, Dwarika and many others which are common to other religions including Jainism. Buddhism inspired Buddha's disciples in creating holy spots. The same phenomenon holds good for Hinduism and Jainism. We observe that even the aboriginal cult figures of Yakshas and Nagas were assimilated to fulfill the needs of the Buddhist, the Brahminical and Jain pantheons which gave rise to new Tirthas. At this point of time the Sthala Mahatmya' evolved and regarded each Tirtha as the epitome of the entire country, 1. N. P. Joshi. Skanda Purana (Marathi Trans.) sake 1905. Pune. See
Kashi Khanda (Uttarardha) pp. 197-252. 2. Mahabharata. Aranyaka Parvan. ch.80. 3. ob-cit.
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