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A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA QURNI
the images of Jina (zina-pratima-vandana ) also corroborates the same fact. 1
With the godhood of its founder and preachers, their worship in the temple (ziņaghara )? also came in vogue. The temple-worship was the most common feature of the religious life during this period, and we see innumerable types of early medieval temples belonging to different sects. The Jainas did not lag behind their Brāhmana counterparts in this field and as is evident from the various epigraphs, many of the kings liberally gave grants for erecting Jaina temples during this time. Fergusson has remarked: “Jaina temples were really prayers in stone." In the NC. monks are frequently mentioned as going for the reverence in the temple ( caitya-vandana-nimitta ),5 The temples must have been cleaned (pamajjana ), washed ( Qvari sana ), anointed with clay ( uvalevaņa), decorated with flowers ( þupphovayarappadana ) and lighted with lamps ( divaga-pajjalana ). The princes as well as the public made grants for these provisions. By giving place to such religious rites and ceremonies the adherents of Jainism proved that the popularity of a religion is based on its ceremonial aspect which has a direct appeal to the common man. -
The animistic or the hylozoistic theory of Jainism? is the basis of the entire Jaina philosophical, moral and ethical system. According to Jaina conception, the entire cosmosplants, trees, birds, animals, water, earth etc.-is possessed of life. This animistic theory of the Jainas "was of course
1, NC, 2, p. 362. 2. 97751 FFTUETTICE-NC. 3, p. 65. 3. 97731) pratila baaT HETTTTT TA ETT 7-NC. 4, p. 301; NC: 3,
p. 14. 4. Fergusson, J., History of Indian and Eastern Architecture, Vol. II,
p. 26. 5. NC. 2, p. 113. 6. NO. 2, p. 334. 7. Sharama, op. cit., p. 131.
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