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sava in various classical Sanskrit texts, was the festival held in honour of the full-moon.1 The young girls accompanied by their friends or mothers participated in the festival. The garland-makers brought beautiful flowers and garlands for the festival, which were sold at a high price."
2
Some of the festivals were observed by a certain section of society or in a particular village or town." Mallajuddhamaha5 was evidently a festival of the wrestlers when the wrestling-contests were arranged. Bahuraya is mentioned as a festival celebrated by the Sarakkha ascetics, while the Bahu-milakkhu-maha is explained as a festival in which a large number of non-Aryan population like the Dravidians participated. Mention has also been made of the Iṭṭaga-chaṇa which has been explained as the feast of noodles. 9 According to J. C. Jain, it might correspond to the feast of Rakṣābandhana or Saluno held in North India.10
Jaina Festivals and Fasts
RELIGION
Pajjusana-Jainism being an ascetic religion, most of the Jaina festivals were accompanied with fasts. Pajjusana was the most important of the Jaina festivals. According to the ancient tradition, the festival of Pajjusana could be held on punnima (full-moon day ), pañcami ( fifth day ), daśami (tenth
1. Saletore, Life in the Gupta Age, p. 161. 2. कोमुतिचारं माताए समं आगता - NC. 1, p. 17.
3. NC. 4, p. 306.
4. NO. 2, p. 242; NC. 4, p. 233.
5. ताहे...मल्लजुद्धमहे वट्टमाणो – NC. 3, p. 139.
6. जत्थ महे बहू बहुरया मिलंति जहा सरक्खा सो बहुरयो भण्णति - NC. 3, p. 350 .
7. अव्वत्तभासिणो बहुगा जत्थ महे मिलंति सो बहुमिलक्खू महो, ते य मिलक्खू -NC, 3, p. 350. In the press-copy of the NC. prepared by
Muni Punyavijayaji the text is. ते य मिलक्खू दमिडादि ।
8. NC. 2, p. 419. 9. LAI., p. 239. 10. Ibid.
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