________________
Jainism in Mathurā
proved that Jainism did not arise out of Buddhism, and that the Nirgranthas (the Jainas) existed before the time of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, and his contemporary Vardhamāna Mahāvīra, the successor of Pārsvanātha. Jacobi's presentation was convincing, and from 1884 onwards the theory that Jainism arose out of Buddhism fell in general disrepute. 40 Jacobi's arguments were based solely on literary evidence. Therefore, this debate continued.
Barth, a participant in this debate, doubted the authenticity of the Jaina literary evidence prior to the fixation of the Svetāmbara canon in the fifth century AD. This set the stage for the entry of J.G. Buhler in this debate. He was knowledgable about Jainism and during seventeen years of his stay in India (1863-80), he had collected and sent to Europe most of the Jaina literature which was used by Jacobi and Weber in their writings.41 In the beginning Buhler had agreed with the viewpoint of Lassen and Barth. But in 1879, he entered this debate as an opponent of Barth.43 Cunningham had already discovered some images of the Jaina tīrthamkaras from Kankālī Tīlā, and also some inscriptions which bore the words Vardhamāna and Mahāvīra. He had drawn an enthusiastic conclusion, as early as 1873, that there was tangible evidence in support of the truth embodied in the Jaina traditions. 45
But Buhler wanted many more inscriptions to remove Barth's doubts about the authenticity of the early Jaina tradition. Buhler, therefore, asked James Burgess in September, 1887 to resume excavations at Kankālī Tīlā during the next working season.46 Burgess agreed and resumed excavation work at Kankāli Tīlā in January, 1888.47 The resumption of excavations at
40. MCH, p. 104. 41. Ibid., p. 106. 42. OISJ, pp. 23-5 fn. 1. 43. MCH, p. 106. 44. ASIAR, III, pp. 13ff 45. Ibid., p. 46; MCH p. 106. 46. MCH, p. 106. 47. Ibid., p. 107; MI, p. 40.
127
