Jaina Archaeology Outside India

Author(s): Jineshwardas Jain
Publisher: Bharat Varshiya Digambar Jain Mahasabha

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Preface:
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For the first time when I happened to read an article on Angkor temples in National Geographic, May, 1982 by Peter J. White I had envisaged that these Temples are basically dedicated to Jain religion because the Five Meru Temples (.e Angkorvat) and 52 towered temple of Angkorthom have been of biggest reverence to the Jains all over the world. I feel that he western Historians and geographers are not aware about the Jaina religion, philosophy and their Geographical locations of famous Jain temples throughout the world. The Chinese piligrims of the 4th to 14th centuries AD and the Arab merchants and traders of the 7th to 14" centuries were well acquainted with the Jaina and distinguished them from the followers of Brahminism and even Buddhism. The European adventurers and travelers of then 15th to 18th centuriesdo not appear to have noticed the distinction between the two ommubnities, the Hindu and the Jaina, because, looking supeficailly with the eyes of a stranger from far off countries, there was none. The muslim chroniclers of medieval times also generally suffer from the same lapse, but not all of them. [71] Keeping this in view, I visited these temples first time in march 1996 and found these to be exactly true to my surmise. On the basis of these findings | published two Books (3] & [4]. These findings encouraged me to such an extent that I travelled to more than thirty three countries in the world to explore the existence of Jaina archeology out side India. This book is an outcome of this effort. The most important finding of my research in this field is of proving that South-East Asia was the Old Mahabharat which Georaphers and Historians have translated 'Mahabharat' as 'Greater India', Exterior India, or Further India; etc.. In this exploration I have had the blessings of Muni Shri Vidyanandji Maharaj and Muni Shri Vidya Sagar ji Maharaj. There is no doubt that Jainism prevailed even before Vardhamana or Parshvanath. The Yajurveda mentions the names of three Tirthankaraas, Rishabh, Ajit, and Arishtanemi, the first, second and 22nd tirthankaras. The Bhagwat Purana endorses the view that Rishabh was the founder of Jainism.
Dr. Sarvapalli Radha Krishnan has mentioned in his book " Indian Philosophy Vol.1, p.287" about the evidence to show that so far back as the 1century BC there were people who were worshipping Rishabh Deva, the 1st Tirthankara.