Indian Antiquary Vol 31

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 71

FEBRUARY, 1902.)
A PANDIT'S VISIT TO GAYA, 1820.
87
offerings, they tie a cloth orer their moatha, so as not to allow the breath to escape: the ceremonial is the same in most respects for the Digambaras and Swetambaras..
Half way up the hill of Sumedha Parvatam is a pond, called Sitakund, on the bank of which is a small temple, with a stone ball that is called Sita-md; a!l travellers, as they pass, worship this goddess with chandanam or red powder, and offer fruits, sweetmeats, betel and areka nuts: they then bathe in the pool, and thence proceed to the upper part of the hill to visit the feet of the Tirthakaras. From Siti-kund flows a spring, which forms a small stream that passes by the east side of the Join temples. The Digambarss have erected & bridge over it to their temple. On Sumedhaparvat grow numerous teak trees of great size; the thicket is tenanted by several kinds of animals, wild hogs, bears, tigers, and porcapines: but it is said that the beasts of prey never appear to any travellers, the latter being protected by the Jaina gode. The breadth of the hill is three gaus; it takes three days for travellers to go round the hill: the pilgrims usually halt some time at MadhuVanam.
The Zamindar of this place lives in a mud fort at the village called PAlaganj, three kon from Madhuvanam; he is of the race of the sun and Rajpat caste : his name is. Suprasiúh; one of his cousins, Muttasinb, resides at the village of Katarasi, five kos east of Madhuvanem ; another cousin named Prithvisinh, lives at the village called Jaraya; and another a female cousin called. Datamani Rån, lives at a village called Navagarh, southward of Madhavanam sis. kos; she bus ro husband nor children, the other three have families. Of the money received from the pilgrims, half goes to the chief at PAlaganj, and the ocher half is divided equally amongst his three cousins,
The most numerous resort of pilgrims is in the month of Magh, or January, at the full moon when the Varanta Yatra is held at Madhuvanam Jain Sanyasis or pilgrims, who come in the month of AshAdha or June, remain for four months according to the Sústras.
The names of the twenty Padums or feet of the Jaina gods, which are placed on the bill of Sumedha-parvatam, are the following :-(1) Ajita Tirthakwa Padam ; () Sambhava; (3) Abhinandana; (4) Sumati ; (5) Padmaprabha; (6) Suparáts; (7) Chandraprabhs; (8) Pushpadanta : (9) Sitals; (10) Sreymás; (11) Vimals; (12) Ananta ; (18) Dharma; (14) Santi: (15) Kunthu : (16) Ara; (17) Malli; (18) Munisuvrata ; (19) Nemi ; and (20) Parswanath Tirthakara Padam.
The people of the place call it Parkwanth Kubotram, and give the Damo Sekkarajaya to the hill. At the annual meeting, the people of the ZamindArs establish Thanas, and attend aimed with-swords and muskets. The inhabitants of the neighbouring villages bring firewood grass, milk, rice, ght, pepper, eto., and a number of dholis to carry old people, women and children up the hill. Along with the travellers, who scend the hill, prooved number of beggar, blowing their bankas or horna, round instruments made of brass; to these mendicants the pilgrims, when they perform their worship, give alms.
It should have been mentioned that, at the beginning of the ascent, is & small shrine with two images-whore worship is first paid ; and that a little way higher up is's 8wetambara temple dedicated to the Kahotrapals or goardian of the place. From the 24th Jannary to 1st February. I passed my time with some Jain travellers who had come from Dehli to the pilgrimage of Madhuvanam. They came with 20 camels, 40 hackaries, 15 horses, and with 50 peons; Most of the above was gathered from an old pilgrim of the party of this Swetambara caste, who was well acquainted with the history of the Jaiza-religion.
February 2nd. - I had resided at Palaganj, a village about three kostrom Madhuvanam until this date, in order to observe what was going forward there witA more attention. On this day I departed, and proceeded through the jangal of Jharkhand to Vaidyanath, which I reached on the fourth day, it being about 20 kos from Madhuvanam.
In 1887 the division sem to have boon Palganj 8ADBA, Jarayi 8t Anna, Navagarh 21, And Katarda 2 ann. - Quart. Orient. Mag. Vol VIII. p. 101. Boe Note at the end of this paper.-J. B.