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A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF JAINISM
that in the vs 826 corresponding to AD 768 the great Svetāmbara savant Bappabhatti established an image of Mahāvīra (vīrabimba) at Mathurā. This is also confirmed by the evidence of the Prabandhakośa.% According to Devasena, in vs 953 corresponding to AD 895 Rāmasena established the Māthura Samgha at Mathurā.97 This shows that Mathurā continued as a favourite resort for both the Svetāmbaras and Digambaras.
A few Jaina inscriptions of our periods have been discovered from Mathurā which also testify that Mathurā retained its popularity as a Jaina centre between ad 600 and 1000. It should, however, be remembered that the popularity of Jainism at Mathurā gradually diminished in course of time with the migration of the Jaina monks towards Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka. The ruling dynasties of northern India did not patronize Jainism like the ruling dynasties of the three above-mentioned states. This we will discuss later. For the present, let us turn our attention to some other places in U.P.
Several ancient cities of U.P. such as Ahicchatra, Kāmpilya, Kāśī, Sānkāsya, Śrāvastī, Kaušāmbī, etc. had Jaina centres, and Jina images from these cities of our period have been discovered and they will be discussed in vol. II. A few small Jaina inscriptions and images of our period have also been discovered from various places in U.P.99 In this connection we should take note of the statement of the author of the Prabodhacandrodaya, 100 a play written in the eleventh century, that as a result of persecution by the Brāhmaṇas, the Digambara Jainas and Buddhists fled to Pancāla, Mālava, Abhira, and Anarta. We should remember that the play was staged in the court of Candella Kirtivarman and therefore, its evidence is of real value. 101 There is very great reason to believe that by AD 1000. Jainism had been almost completely eclipsed from a majority of places in U.P., Bihar, Bengal and Orissa.
In the Svetāmbara Jaina works, we are told about the achievements of a great Jaina saint of the name of Bappabhatti, who is described as a contemporary of king Ama of Kanauj, Dharmapāla of Bengal, and Vākpati, the author of the celebrated Prākļta poem Gaudavaho. 102 This great Jaina saint was responsible, according to the Svetambara works, for the promotion of Jainism in different places in northern India in the eighth century AD. However, his chief patron king Ama is not known from epigraphic sources. It has been conjectured that he should either be identified with Nāgabhata II or Indrāyudha-Indrarāja. Bappabhatti set up in his lifetime Jaina
