Jain Journal 1975 07

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

Page 18

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JAIN JOURNAL
Obviously, the renaissance of Hinduism found an easily tillable field and has eliminated almost every trace of the ancient Jaina Church in North India, East India and extreme South India.
Jainism was promoted with tremendous success only since the time of king Candragupta Maurya and it allowed Jainadharma to be one of the national religions in India. The great expansion territories of Jainadharma were North India, East India, South-East India, South India, Inner India and West India.
Gradually in the course of its expansion, Jainism had to take account more politically different conditions prevailing in later periods in South India and West India than North Indian Orthodox school of Jainism in the early period. In those culture-areas which Jainism conquered at least partially during its mission, it encountered the non-Aryan people 62 which either were more firmly bound up with a non-Jainistic stratum of literati or with a non-Jainistic state cult and so preserved its ties.
The Mission of Jaina Sangha in North India and Eastern India
Lord Mahavira propagated Sramana Nirgrantha Dharma in Magadha, Videha, Anga and Vanga in the north-east and in Kasi, Kosala, Vatsa in the north and Sindhu-Sauvira in the west of Aryavarta. He
the Magadhan king Srenika Bimbisara and his son king Kunika his followers with his holy teachings. It is also evidenced by the inscription of king Kharavela of Kalinga that the Nanda king also was the follower of Jainadharma. In 150 B.C. or 1st Century B.C., according to Dr. H. C. Ray Choudhuryes, it is clearly mentioned in the Hathigumpha Inscription 64 that the Jaina image which Nandaraja had taken away from Kalinga was brought back by the Kalinga king to his own Kingdom. This inscription begins with the invocation to the Arhatas and the Siddhas. And there is recorded in it the account of his victorious expedition to different countries and of various beneficial social reforms of public welfare in his own kingdom. The Jaina mission had gone to
62 Mahavira led his mission to Anaryadesa (Radhadesa) in Bengal and received
rude behaviour from the local people. King Samprati sent first his royal officers to the outlying Anaryadesas to prepare the ground for despatching the Jaina missionaries later so that the Anarya people would be able to receive and honour them in proper Jainistic manner. See Brhatkalpa Sutra and its
Bhasya, gathas, 3288, 3289. * See Dr. H. C. Ray Choudhury, Political History of Ancient India, for the
date of King Kharavela. 64 Hathigumpha Inscription, vide Select Inscriptions, pp 206-213.