Book Title: Jaina Archaeology Outside India
Author(s): Jineshwardas Jain
Publisher: Bharat Varshiya Digambar Jain Mahasabha

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Page 20
________________ the Buddhists post 24 Buddhas ie, teaching Gods, The Zorastrians also have 24 Ahuras, who are regarded as the mightiest ti advance dsire and dominion of blessings. These great ones thus addressed in one of the sacred books of the Parsis. The more remarkable case of identity of thought between Jainism and Non-Jain creeds furnished by Jeweish Apocryspha which afknowledges 24 faces on the ladder of Jacob. This discrepancy between 52 and 72 has arisen because Bayon temple in Angkor Thom in Cambodia contains only 52 towers. This reminds us the shloaka of Nandishwar dveep pooja - 'Shail battis ik sahas yojana kahe, chaar solaha mile sarva bavan lahe, Ek ik sheesh par ek jin mandiram, bhawan baavanna pratima namo sukh karan'. A fig. 5, shows the broken statues numbering around 22,000 kept on the four corners of the monument. In fact the Borobudur temple does not belong to Indonesia only, but also to all nations in the world. Alex Wayman [12] describes further in the words of guide 'the reason as to why 72 stupas are arranged in three circles. There are three mysteries: Body, Speech and Mind. The three circles of smaller stupas are in the order of two, three and four by multiples of 8 i.e. 16, 24, and 32 makes a total of 72. The number which is a factor of 8 for each three circles associates with eightfold series of Knowledge and vision. According to Jaina Philosophy Right knowledge, Right faith (vision) both are eight types. Alex Wayman feels that the three mysteries, the body is the outermost, the middle one correlates the speech and innermost matches with the mind. Kemper [5] concludes as : 'The Borobudur is the statement and confirmation of the ultimate relation of the unreal and illusive world in which mankind operates to the ultimate reality behind it all. Fontein (10) mentions: As the art Historian usually lacks the multilingual background to do the philological research, and the linguist is usually not equipped to interpret complex artistic creations, close cooperation between scholars of these two disciplines would seem to offer the best prospects for a detailed study of the Borobudur reliefs. Crowning the top is large closed stupa which is 60 feet in dia, and around 60 ft high. Regarding the stupas it was believed that building of stupa ensures long life, protection from the dangers of poisonous plants, spirits, demons, ghosts and the swords of enemy. The terraced construction of Borobudur recalls the 20

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