Development And Impact Of Jainism In India And Abroad

Author(s): Gunvant Barvalia
Publisher: Arham Spiritual Center

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DEVELOPMENT AND IMPACT OF JAINISM IN ASIA AND ASIAN DWIPA
the following Buddhist Sanksrit inscription is found.
Ye dharma hetuprabhava tesam hetum tathagato (hyavadat). Tesam ca ye nirodha Evamvadi Mahastramanah. Ajnanacciyate karmajanmanah karmakaranam. Jnananna kriyate karma karmabhavanna jayate.
Sumatra is situated in South of Malaya. It comes under Indonesia. According to French scholar Ferrand, Yavanadvipa is the name of Sumatra. There is yavananagara, which is identified with Junagadh in Gujarat where the Jain Tirthaksetra Girnar is situated.
Srivijaya is the most famous Indian colony in Sumatra which was established in about 4th C.A.D. Sailendra dynasty ruled over the country. The Kuvalayamala refers to Vijayapur. Dr. V.S. Agarawal identifies it with Nagarjunikonda. It may have some relations with Vijayapuri of Sumatra on the line of Campa and other countries.
Java is identified as Yavadvipa. It was traditionally associated with king Astin, the Apharamsa from of Hastinapur, the most ancient centre of Jainism. It is also said that it was established by king of Kalinga, the Jaina Emperior. He ling is the Chiese from of Kalinga. Bornio, Bali, Philippines, Combodia etc. have been the Indian colonies under the kingship of Varman family which has also been a patron of Jainism. The Kuvalayamala refers to king Drdavarman who wanted to proceed to Vijayapuri. Several Sanskrt inscriptions of Purnavarman are found in Java who may have been Combodia were also ruled over by Varman family. It is observed that the art and architecture of Combodia is very much influenced by Jaina culture. The temple art of Ankor be related with Jainism.
Simhal was originally named as Tamraparni where prince Vijayasingh from Lat or Gujarat got down. His father's name was Simhavahu. Simhal may be named after his name. Then it was called Srilanka. Before Samrat Ashoká sent Mahendra and Sanghamitra to Srilanka for Propagation of Buddhism, Jainism was in existence as indicated in the Mahavamsa. They had to face the clashes with Vidyadharas or Yaksas. Pandukabhaya succeeded in obtaining their cooperation and constructed a vihar for Jotiya and other Niganthas nearby "Anuradhapur.23 The Jaina tradition also supports that the Vidyadhara cult was there in Srilanka and there was a Jain temple of Trikutagiri near Kiskandha Nagari (Harivamsapurana), The Karakandacariu also mentions that there was a Jain temple on Malayagiri.24
The Satkhandagama25 is of the view that the language of Srilanka was not sweet and described it as kubhasa. Srilanka was also named as Ratnadvipa. It was famous for pearls. The Kuvalayamala refers to a conference of the merchants relating to the conditions of their trade. In this connection, one merchant said that he went to Ratnadvipa with leaves of the Nimba tree and brought gems from there.26
The Kuvalayamala narrated a story of Lobhadeva which gives a clear picture of Ratnadvipa. He said that there was a village of Uccasthala situated to the south-west of Taksasila in Uttarapatha. There lived a Sarthavaha's son. Dhanadeva. As he was highly greedy, deceitful and avaricious of other's wealth, he was nicknamed Lobhadeva. He requested his father to allow him
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