Book Title: Introduction to Jainism and its Culture
Author(s): Balbhadra Jain
Publisher: Kundkund Gyanpith Indore

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Page 218
________________ city. In due course he married and ascended the throne. Once he was enjoying nature's beauty during snowfall in the cold season. He suddenly marked that the frozen ice started melting under the heat of sunrays. It was a common scene frequently witnessed. However, this time it stirred him and he became aware of the transient nature of life. He renounced the world and became a sky-clad ascetic to pursue his spiritual goal. After the initial fasting he was served food by King Kanakaprabha of Nandanapura. He then commenced harsh austerities and itinerant life. Three years later he attained omniscience. All his life he wandered around spreading his spiritual message. In the end he attained nirvana at Sammeda Sikhara. His symbol was boar. His attending deities were Patala Yakșa and Gandhari. Yakșiņi. KAMPILĀ -- The place of birth of Bhagavāna Vimala Nātha, the ancient city of Kampilā, is now a small village in Kayam ganj tehsil of district Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh. It is five miles away from Kayamganj railway station on the Achhanera-Kanpur railway line of the Northern Railway. There is an asphalt road from Kayamganj to this village and the available means of transportation are tongas at the station and bus at the village. Four of the five auspicious events in the life of Bhagavāna Vimala Nātha occurred here (descent, birth, initiation, and omniscience). During the post-birth anointing at Sumeru mountain, Saudharmendra saw the mark of boar on the heal of the child's feet and he declared boar to be his symbol. This later became the inspiring cause of calling the area around Kampilā as sūkara-kşetra (area of boars). This was the place where Bhagavāna gave his first pious sermon. This place was also blessed with the Samavasaraņas of many other Tirthankaras including Bhagavāna Rşabhadeva, Pārsva Nātha, and Mahāvīra. Pāñcāla was one of the fifty two states established by Bhagavāna Rşabhadeva. That Pāñcāla later got split into two independent states of north and south Pāñcāla. Ahicchatra became the capital of north Pāñcāla and Kampilā that of south Pāñcāla. During the Mahābhārata period Droņa ruled north Pāñcāla and Drupada ruled south Pāñcāla. It was here that Pandu's son Arjuna hit the mark with his skillful archery and married Drupada's daughter Draupadī. King Ratnaprabha got a large pond and a Jina temple constructed in Pipla, a village near Kampilā or Kampilya. Today this Pipla village is in 201 Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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