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activities. The Vaishali government broke barriers of race, class, and caste by intermarriages and vocational interchange. They fostered individual freedom, democracy, and governance by collective wisdom. The government was well established and at the height of its prosperity during the time of Mahavira (561-490 BC) and Buddha (567-487 BC). The Contemporaries
The dates of Mahavira (561-490 BC) and Buddha (567-487 BC) convincingly suggest that they were contemporaries. While Mahavira was a native Vaisalian and spent 30 years of his life before renunciation and 20 years of ascetic life in Vaishali, Buddha migrated to Vaishali from Kapilvastu (now Lumbini in Nepal) after renouncing the World. Following the preachings of Upnishads, Buddha was in quest of a teacher. The quest led him to Vaishali and a teacher named Alara Kalama. Alara was known to be very advanced in the art of meditation. While meditating on the side of a road, he did not hear or even see 500 carts rattling past him. There are suggestions that Buddha started his religious life as a Jain in Vaishali, under Alara Kalama and Uddaka as teachers. Buddha practiced austerities associated with Jainism and was reduced to a mere skeleton by limiting food intake to a quantity that could be held in his hollowed palm. This story reveals that at the time of Mahavira and Buddha, Jainism had taken firm roots in Vaishali. Buddha parted from Vaishali and moved further South to Gaya, where he achieved enlightment and subsequently followed a middle path between extremes of self-torture and self-indulgence. After enlightment, Buddha visited Vaishali a number of times, and it was in Vaishali that he made the announcement of his Nirvana. The ashes of Buddha were buried in Vaishali. He also initiated the beauty queen of Vaishali, Amrapali, to Buddhism. Vaishali After Mahavira
The Chinese pilgrim, Fa-Hien, who visited India in 399-414 AD has also written about
Vaishali. He documents the existence of double tower Mahavana Vihara where Buddha used to stay. He also noticed ruins of Vihara given by Amrapali to Buddha at Ama-vana. Vaishali was also seen in its decline and ruins by another Chinese pilgrim, Hiuen-Tsang (629-645 AD). He noticed hundreds of Viharas in a dilapidated and deserted state, a number of Brahmincal temples, and flourishing Digambras. He wrote, “The followers of Nirgranthas (Jainas) are numerous." This is the last written evidence of the existence of a sizable
Jain population in Vaisali. For unknown reasons, the Jains were depopulated and lost contact with Vaishali. The Jain temples of Rajsthan and Gujarat have diverted their attention to that part of the country.
Three major religions of the world - Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism - were nurtured and prospered under a social order on its soil. The cultural and spiritual traditions allowed simultaneous development of the three religious thoughts and practices - unique in the history of mankind. The philosophy of Ahimsa (non-violence) was nourished by its citizens which was practiced by Mahatma Gandhi to free India and Dr. Martin Luther King to gain racial equality in the 20th Century. The democratic republic government that the people of Vaishali developed and practiced for hundreds of years is now recognized as the best form of governance for the people of the world. In these tumultuous times of religious extremism, Vaishali – the birthplace of Vardhamana Mahavira - serves as a beacon of light and provides hope for the future of humanity. a
Binod Kumar is a native of Vaishali and was educated at the Banaras Hindu University and Pennsylvania State University. He is a Group Leader and Distinguished Research Engineer at the University of Dayton Research Institute where he pursues research on electrochemical power.
Jain Education Interational 2010_03
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