Jain Journal 1972 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 48

APRIL, 1972
187
kings of this dynasty are found here. It may, however, be noted that these inscriptions do not belong only to the Scythian period, but several earlier ones have also been traced which tend to suggest that Jainism was in a flourishing condition in this region from the 2nd century B.C. or even earlier.
The earliest inscription on linguistic and palaeographic ground according to Buhler, is that which describes the gift of an ornamental arch (pāsādatorana) by a certain lay-follower (sāvakasa) named Uttaradasaka who claimed to be a disciple of Sramana Maharaksita. The inscription itself does not contain the date, but according to him, it may well go back to the 2nd century B.C.
Next in antiquity are two epigraphs one of which, however, is incomplete as it mentions only mahārāja mahākşatrapa ... ma ... Besides these only an invocation of Arhats and the words quoted previously are to be found on the Jaina image. The other clearly refers to the time of svāmisa mahāksatrapasa sodasasa savatsare. This Sodasa has been dated by historians to about the 1st century A.D.
Then we come to the group of inscriptions which directly express the regnal years of Kaniska, Huviska and Vasudeva.
After the Kushana epigraphs, there come those which belong to the Gupta period, and lastly one which belongs to the 11th century A.D.
The following points may be noted from their study :
(1) No 47 of Luders list mentions the setting up of an image at vodva (?) thūpa by a female lay-disciple Dina in the year 79.
In this connection, it may be noted that literary, epigraphical and archaeological evidences corroborate each other. As for the literary evidence, the Vyavahāra Bhāşya refers to a jewelled thūba at Mathura, due to which ill-feeling spread between the Jainas and the Buddhists, which ultimately resulted in the defeat of the Buddhists. People at Mathura were said to be devoted to Jina images which they installed in their houses. This goes well with the find of several Jina images as well as a Jaina stūpa at Mathura due to the excavations carried out by scholars like Cunningham in 1871, Growse in 1875 and by Drs. Burgess and Fuhrer in 1887-96. Only "during the season 1889-90 when the Jaina stūpa and the western Jaina temple were exposed, 80 images of