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A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
practising great austerities during the days of their spiritual struggle (vihāra), where they achieved omniscience (kevaloppada) and the places where they achieved salvation ( nivvāna ), were the sacred places of pilgrimage.1 A similar sentiment is shared by the Buddhists who have the following four places for their pilgrimage the place of the Buddha's birth (Lumbini), the place where he attained perfect enlightenment ( Bodhgaya ), the place where he set in motion the wheel of Dharma by delivering his first sermon (Sarnath near Varanasi ) and the place where he passed away into the state of Nirvāņa ( Kushinara ).3
Besides, journey to certain places famous for some religious objects like the temple or image was considered to be meritorious. Among such places the dhamma-cakka in Uttaravaha, the god-made thūbha ( stūpa ) at Mathura and the image of Jiyam tasāmi at Kosala3 were regarded as places where the Jainas aspired to go to pay their homage to the deity and purify their mind and intellect ( Bohilabha ).*
The famous Brāhmanic tīrthas or the places of pilgrimage like Ganges, Payāga, Pahāsa etc. have been mentioned as kutittha (kutīrtha) in the NC., which only shows the sectarian spirit of the Jaina author. These tirthas have been highly eulogised by the ancient as well as the medieval Brāhmaṇic authorities and pilgrimage to these places is held in regard even to the present centuries. Among these Brāhmaṇic tirthas ( kutitthas in the NC. ) the following have been mentioned :
1. तित्थकराण य तिलोगपूइयाण जम्मण-णिक्खमण-विहार-केवलुप्पाद-निव्वाणभूमीओ य
iFjā augš. STEAIbid. 2. Mahāparinibbānasutta, SBE., Vol. X, p. 90; Kane, P. V., History
of Dharmaśāstras, Vol. IV, p. 552. 3. उत्तरावहे धम्मचक्कं, मधुराए देवणिम्मियथूभी, कोसलाए व जियंतपडिमा तित्थकराण
ar Jifit-NC. 3, p. 79. 4. Fəalgo q au dat aan fa fertile_NC. 3, p. 24. 5. NC. 3, p. 195.
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