Jain Journal 2005 10

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

Page 27

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JAIN JOURNAL : VOL-XL. NO. 2 OCTOBER 2005
Pundravardhana by an aerial route to rescue her father-in-law's family from the evil influence of the sky-clad Nirgranthas (Jainas) who were then most powerful in Pundravardhan.'*
It appears that from the 5th century B.C. two holy places of the Jainas got prominence, one situated at Pundraparvata and the other at Kottapura / Devakotta. Jinaprabha Sūri, a Jaina Acārya belonging to the 14th century AD. had made mention of Pndraparvata as a Jaina pilgrimage. It is also very interesting to note that the Divvāvadāna (2nd / Ist century B.C.) metioned 'Pundrākhya Parvata' as the Eastern border of Buddhist "majjim desa'.'5 Koțțapura / Devakotta probably came into prominence earlier than Pundraparvata. Not only Harişeņa but also Prabhācandra seem to have made mention of this holy place of the Jainas.
That Jainism was in a flourishing condition in Pundravardhana in the 3rd century B.C, during the reign of Asoka is evidnet from another legend embedded in the Divyāvadāna. This legend relates that the lay devotees of the Jaina community of Pundravardhana had painted a picture which had shown the Buddha falling at the feet of Jina. Being enraged at this news Asoka killed 18 thousand Ajīvikas in a day (In Chinese translation, in place of Ājīvikas, Nirgranthas have been mentioned).'"
It is presumed that after his ordination to monkhood, Bhadrabāhu, being a native of Koțivarşa had left no stone unturned in making Pundravardhana a citadel of Jainism.
This assumption may be substantiated by the fact that godāsa, one of the four chief disciples of Bhadrabāhu, had established a gana or school named godāsa gana. This gana, in course of time, was ramified into four 'Sākhās' or branches of which twoPundravardhanīya and Koțivarsiya belonged to Varendri or North
14. 15. 6.
R.L. Mitra. - Nepalese Buddhist Tradition, p. 237. N. N. Dasgupta. Banglay Baudhadharina (in Bengali), p. 17. R. C. Mazumder. History of Ancient Bengal, p. 26.