Jain Spirit 2003 10 No 16

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 31

preceptor of the famous Hun prince, Toraraya or Toramana, the king of Parvatika on the banks of the river Chandrabhaga. There was a sizeable and influential population of Jains in Uttarpath in the 6th century and also in Nagarkot, Kangra, Mullan, Muzaffargarh, Montgomery, Dera Ghazikhan, Kohat, Bannu and Mianwali for several centuries until the partition of India. A Jain saint, Jinadutt Suri established the panchanadi pooja, the worship of the combined stream of the five rivers of Punjab. Jainism flourished in Punjab during Akbar's reign and a number of temples were also built with royal permission. It is said that a Jain monk composed a stotra containing a thousand names of the sun, and it was recited before Akbar every Sunday. He also conferred the title of Jagadguru (world-class teacher) on a Jain monk.
The Badli inscription, which dates back to 84 years after the nirvana of Lord Mahavira, helped establish the presence of Jainism in Rajasthan in the fifth century BC. According to another inscription from 1276 from Bhinmal, Lord Mahavira himself came to Srimalanagar. Yet another inscription of 1369 from Mungsthala indicates that Lord Mahavira had visited Abu and Mount Abu region in the 37th year of his life. The claim based on the two inscriptions is not supported by any other evidence, but the inscription from Bairath does take us to the period of king Samprati, the grandson of Ashoka, also known as Jain Ashoka. Hiuen Tsang also refers to Bhimal and Bairath as centres of Jainism.
The Pratihara kings in west Rajasthan encouraged Jainism. Vatsaraja Pratihara built a Mahavira temple at Osian, near Jodhpur in the 8th century AD. Osian, with which the genesis of the Oswal Jains in Rajasthan and Gujarat is connected, is an ancient pilgrimage. The Mahavira temple at Osian has Maru Rajasthani features as well as the later Gujarati style and the impress of the Chahmana (Chauhan) period. According to Professor Dhaky, the main temple is the oldest example of Maha-maru architecture, and its rich treasurers of Jain iconography and the Devakulikas are the earliest masterpieces. Like the Mahavira temple in Osian, the Parsvanatha temple in Phalodi (Phalvardhika) was also renovated and repaired later. Indeed, there are thousands of such examples of Jain temples throughout Rajasthan, which were repaired or replaced,
Photo: Atul K.Shah
The tradition continues
although many more were destroyed or appropriated for Shiva or other worship. Dr. U.P. Shah has shown that the famous Kirti Stambha of Chittore, that has eight storeys and is about eighty feet high, was a Jain Digambara manastambha. It was built in c.1100 AD and repaired in c.1450. At the famous shrine of Keshariaji in the formerly princely state of Udaipur Adinatha Rshabha is worshipped by Jains, Hindus and tribals alike. The pillars and ceiling patterns in the famous Adhai-din-ka-Jhonpada mosque complex in Ajmer show at a bare glance that earlier it was a Jain temple and monastery. The Rathors of Hathundi were Jains and ruled in the 10th century AD. Many of the rulers, though not Jains. themselves, respected Jainism: Harsha Vardhana was one such example. The Chalukyas, Cholas, Rashtrakutas, Parmars, Sisodias and several other dynasties including Akbar of the Mughal dynasty with many of their ministers and feudatories were patrons and sponsors of the Jain art. When the Chauhans held sway in north India, there was profusion of Jain temples and sculpture. Many of the Chalukya kings were Jains, who established important Jain temples and temple cities. Jainism was well established in every princely state of Rajasthan, notably Jodhpur, Jaiselmer, Jaipur, Bikaner, Sirohi, Udaipur, Dungarpur, Kota and Bundi. Jains occupied the highest offices in the state, many of them as leaders of trade and commerce. Beautiful temples and large libraries were built. Nakoda Parsvanathji near Balotara and Mahaveerji still attract thousands of visitors and pilgrims.
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The Jain Art Tradition
Dr. L. M. Singhvi is the former Indian High Commissioner to the UK. The above article is extracted from Jain Temples in India and Around the World', Himalayan Books, 2002, available from Jain Spirit at £30 plus p&p.
September November 2003 Jain Spirit
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