Jain Journal 2002 07

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

Page 44

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Jain Journal: Vol. XXXVII, No. 1 July 2002 Contribution of Jainism to the culture of South India
Jainism is one of the oldest reilgions of the world, which was born and cradled in North India and which then spread almost to all parts of the country and contributed its own mite to the culture of India including South India as well as to human thought and welfare.
South India
Jainism entered into South India in two phases. In the first phase, it entered into the region of the present Andhra Pradesha in the form of Mahavira's, Dharmachakra, carried by the monks and recluses during the life time of Mahavira himself, through Kalinga (Orissa), possibly starting from Rajagriha (Bihar), the centre of the Prophet's activities, and in the second phase, it came down to the region of Mysore near Kalbappu (the present Shravanabelgola) (C. 300 B.C.) along with the congregation of 12,000 monks, who left the Madhyadesa (the region between the Ganga and Jamuna rivers) owing to the terrible 12 years femine there, and moved down via Ujjain. They raised a new colony at Kalbappu. Later several of those monks moved into Andhra Pradesha and Tamil Nadu, which region had already received the new religion as moving down from Andhra Pradesh and proceeding to the extreme South.
ANDHRA PRADESA
Thus the region of Andhra Pradesh received Mahāvira's message twice, through the 'Dharmachakra' in Phase-I and through the monks coming from Shravanabelgola in Phase-II. Hence one can naturally expect that Jainiam could have flourished to a considerable extent in this region and contributed much to the culture of the people there. But unfortunately we have no scope or solid evidence to know all about such contribution, because most of the vestiges, monuments, literature, inscriptions etc appear to have been destroyed by the Buddhists, who happened to be the most menacing rivals of Jainism in those days. I may give here a small evidence there is an old damaged temple in this region available now, formerly a Jaina temple, is now called 'Danavala Pāḍ' (the House of Demons) which indicates the contemptuous attitude of the Buddhists towards Jainism that also moved down to the Hindus. Dr. P. B. Desai gives several examples of