Jain Journal 1984 07

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

Page 21

JAIN JOURNAL
Lachhwad as his birth place. Anga was already annexed by the victorious Ajatsatru. The fort of king Nandivardhana at Ksatriya Kundagrama was very tough to win and that is why it could not be subjugated by the Magadhan power. Bhagavan Mahavira propagated his doctrines mostly inside the kingdoms of Anga and Magadha and his early life, i.e. preenlightenment phase, passed mostly in this region. He preached his teachings in local dialect which was ardhamāgahi. If he would have belonged to Vaisali, his language would have been Vajji. This most important linguistic fact is also a torchlight in searching the actual birth place of Bhagavan Mahavira. The region near Lachhwad comes under the Magahi speaking zone.
Archaeologically, an Indian scholar claims Vaisali as Bhagavan Mahavira's birth place on the ground that a number of Jaina images of Bhagavan Mahavira were discovered at Vaisali. But the present author locates a few inscribed and a number of uninscribed stone images of Bhagavan Mahavira at and near Lachhwad. The beautiful black stone seated image of Bhagavan Mahavira enshrined inside the sanctum definitely belonged to the circa 10th-11th century A.D. It is colossal in size. But no such ancient Jaina relic was found at Vaisali. Other images of Bhagavan Mahavira under worship in anumber of temples near Lachhwad also belonged to the period between circa 10th to 15th century A.D. These indicate popularity of this place as birth place of Bhagavan Mahavira. It should be noted here that "Traditions hardly die.” This tradition attracted thousand of Jaina pilgrims from distant places to Lachhwad. A great Jaina saint Muni Prabhasuri (circa 9th century A.D.) visited these places. He mentions in his work that the distance between Brahmana Kundagrama and Ksatriya Kundagrama to Rajagrha and Pavapuri were not much (māhana khattiya kundagā. mahi rajagri pāvāpuri thamahi). The Jaina poet Hamsasoma of the 15th century A.D. recorded the distance between Janmasthan to Kakandi (birth place of ninth Tirthankara Bhagavan Suvidhinatha) only five kosa (ten miles). Another Jaina pilgrim Jinavardhana Suri of the 14th century A.D. visited Pavapuri, Nalanda, Brahmana and Ksatriya Kundagramas, and Kakandi in a sequence. Saubhagya Vijaya of the 17th century A.D. mentioned Ksatriya Kundagrama and Brahmana Kundagrama amidst a number of hills. These accounts of different Jaina pilgrims prove its religious importance. A big Dharmasala was constructed by Rai Dhanpat Singh of Murshidabad in the year 1863 A.D. by the side of Bahuari river.
Bhagavan Mahavira was no doubt closely related to the Lichhavis of Vaisali. The name Lachhwad itself was named after the Lichhavis.