Jain Journal 1977 10

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

Page 37

OCTOBER, 1977
Bihar. Some of the local sanghas15 were flourishing there in the postMahavira period. A few ganas of these forms are also found in other areas16
Eastern area of Jaina Sangha included Bengal17, while SouthEastern realm comprised Kalinga 18. Besides many of the same forms of Sangha characteristic of Northern area, Eastern area supported ganas of various monks19. The land bridge connecting Northern India and Bengal at the eastern frontier of Bihar in Mahavira's time and postMahaviran period also was used by many migrating missionary Jaina Sanghas 20. Actually speaking, Jaina Sanghas of Northern and Eastern areas are similar in many respects as evidenced by both the literary and archaeological records 21. And the two were sometimes combined as North-Eastern area of Jaina Sangha. Southern area of Jaina Sangha consisted of Maharastra, Karnataka, Andhradesha, Tamil Nadu and Kerala far up to Kanyakumari and Ceylon 22. Its distinctive monastic order included Svetapata (Svetambara) Mahasramana Sangha and Nirgrantha (Digambara) Mahasramana Sangha 23, Mulasangha24, Yapaniya Sangha 25, Kurcaka Sangha26, Dravida Sangha 27, Kastha
15 E.g., Uttara-Balissahah gana and its four sakhas, viz., Kausambika, Sultivattiya Kautambari and Candranagari; Uddehagana and its four sakhas and six kulas Carana gana and its branches, Kautikagana and its branches, Vesapatika gana and its branches, Sravastika, etc. See Kalpasutra Sthaviravali.
16 E. g. Madhyamika sakha flourished in Rajasthan and Saurastrika issued from Kautikagana and Manavagana flourished in Rajasthan and Gujarat as their names indicate.
17 See Kalpasutra Sthaviravali for different ganas, kulas, and sakhas-Godasagana, Tamraliptika sakha etc.
18 See the Hathigumpta Inscription of King Kharavela, Kalinga formed a part of Jaina Mission realms as evidenced by the archaeological and epigraphic records. 1 North-eastward orthodox Jaina Sangha embraced Dinajpur in North Bengal and spread out to South-West Bengal (Tamralipta) in the post-Mahavira period as is evidenced by the fact of mention of Godasagana and its branches Tamraliptika, Kotivarsika, Pundravarddhanika and Dasikharabatika respectively in the Sthaviravali of the Kalpasutra.
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20 Ibid.
21 See the Kalpasutra Sthaviravali and Early Mathura Inscriptions.
22 See 'the Missions of Jaina Sangha' by Dr. J. C. Sikdar, Jain Journal, Calcutta, July, 1975, January, 1976.
28 Jaina Silalekha Saamgraha, Pt. III, Ins. No. 9, pp. 69-71.
24 Ibid, p. 56, No. 90, etc.
25 Ibid., No. 100, p. 75, etc.
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20 Ibid., No. 99, p. 73, etc. Darsanasara, p. 26.
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