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History of Jainism in Orissa
Owing to paucity of materials of positive nature, the exact date of the beginning of Jainism in Orissa cannot be determined. However, from legendary and traditional accounts and indirect references it can be reasonably traced back to a period much earlier than that of the rise of Buddhism under Gautam Buddha.
Rsabhadeva, known in the traditional accounts of the Jainas as the founder of Jainism and Adinātha or the first Jaina Tirthankara, is believed to have been associated with the cultural history of ancient Orissa. In the Hāthi-Gumphā inscription of Udayagiri there is a reference to the fact that Kaliñga Jina was carried away from Kaliñga by a Nanda king. Scholars' asscciate this Kalinga Jina with that of Rşabha in view of the fact that he is generally linked with the places of his worship. For example the image of Rşabhanātha of Satruñjaya is called Satruñjaya Jina and that of Abu is called abuda Jina and so on. Similarly the Rşabhadeva of Kaliñga might have been designated as Kalinga Jina. Of course, here he was not named after a particular place but after the entire Kingdom. It is perhaps the solitary example to name a Tirthankara after a kingdom. The contentions of N.K. Sahu are that Rşabha has been most frequently represented in the Khandagiri caves. Besides, the Jaina temple standing at the highest point of the hill has been dedicated to Adinātha and Khāravela while reclaiming Pithunda employed ass drawr plough instead of bullock-drawn ones as bull was religiously associated with Rşabhadeva. However, this fact prompts us to think that Rşabhadeva, the first Jina, was the well reputed and established deity of Kalinga leng before the 6th century B.C. when Mahāvira, the last Tirthankara of the Jaina tradition appeared in the religious firmament of India. It was possibly for the outstanding significance of the deity that Nandarāja later on took away this image as war trophy to pronource his victory over Kalinga. But Rşabhadeva was not known to have preached Jainism in Orissa.
The next reference to the country of Kalinga in the Jaina literature is in connection with Sreyānsanātha, the eleventh Tirthankara. According to the Avaśyaka Nirukti?
1. N.K. Sahu, History of Orissa, Vol. I. p. 353 and C.J. Shah, Jainism in North India, pp. 172-73. 2. Avas yaka Nirukti, p. 325.
