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BL GUPTA*
JAINISM IN EARLY ARCHAEOLOGY
Jainism is a heterodox religion in the sense that it is non-Vedic, ascetic and monastic in character! It is supposed to be one of the earliest religions of India Jain traditions speak of twenty-four Tirthankaras, but the historicity of the last two only, ie Parsva and Mahavira, is proven Mahavira was a contemporary of the Buddha and his nirvana took place in 527 BC, Parsva is said to have flourished about 250 years before Mahavira 2
On the basis of the Tirthankara tradition, the ascetic character of the faith and the prevalance of image worship in latter Jainism, scholars tried to push the antiquity of Jainism back to pre-historic times in the present paper we propose to discuss the archaeological antiquities and remains which shed helpful light on the antiquity and development of Jainism in India
The ascetic4 character of the religion and nude images of
*Junior Research Fellow, Department of History and Indian Culture, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur 1 See, SB Deo Jain Monachism (Deccan College Dissertation Series 17, Poona 1956), p 59, CF G C Pande, Studies in the Origins of Buddhism (Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1973) P 315, also H Jacobi 'Some Aspects of Jainism', Journal of Mahabodhi Society, Calcutta, Vol XXII, 1914, pp 83-90 2 H Jacobi in SBE, Vol XLV, pp xx-xxin tried to prove the historicity of Parsya on the basis that (1) Chanyam Dharma of Nirgranthas has been mentioned in Buddhist Scriptures, (11) mention of Nigranthas in the six fold division of mankind by Mahali Goshala, (111) mention of dispute occurred between the Buddha and Sakdal in Majjhima Nikaya and differences between the followers of Mahavira and Parsva frequently mentioned in Buddhist and Jain literature Cf Uttaradhyayana Sutra, 23, PP 119-129, Bhagavati Sutra, 1 76, CF also S B Deo, op.at, p 59 Parsva attained nirvana in 277 BC (Vide Ralpasutra, 168-169) 3 Unlike Buddhism it is difficult to ascertain the definite time of the origin of image Worship in Jainism 4 It has been pointed out by G C Pande that the anti-ritualistic tendency, within the Vedic folds is itself due to the impact of an asceticism which antidates the Vedas (Studies in the Origins of Buddhism, p 317) 5 Some scholars try to relate Ajivaka sect with the Jains BM Barua shows their absorption in Digambara Jainism ("The Journal of the Department of
