________________
History of Jainism in Orissa
15
he was born at Simhapura, which was the capital of Kalinga. Arānātha, the eighteenth Tirthankara, received his first alms in the city of Rājapur, which according to the Mahabharata, was the metropolis of Kalinga.3
It was Pārsvanātha, to whom Jaina tradition given the twenty-third place in the hierarchy of Jaina Tirth ankaras, is believed to have visited Orissa and preached Jainism in this regior. It is evidert frcm rumercus sculptural representations in the caves of Khandagiri and Udayagiri near Bhubareswar where images of Pārsvanātha and epise des from the life of Pārsvanātha are found to have been carved magnificently. Specially the narrative parels, as believed by scme schclars on the facades of Rāņi Gumphā of Udayagiri faithfully depict the life and activities of this honcured saint. This fact goes a long way in proving that he was the most venerable and reputed of the Tirthankaras in ancient Orissa. If on the basis of the Jaina tradition, this great saint emerged two hundred and fifty years before Mahāvira, then as early as the 8th century B.C. Orissa was a reputed seat of Jainism with Parávanātha playing a distinguished role in the religious life of the people.
The romantic story current in regard to Pārsvanātha, the twenty-third Tirthankara is as follows:
"Praserjit, the king of Kusasthalapur, had a daughter named Prabhāvati who was unrivalled in her feminine accomplishments. The king left no stone unturned to find cut a suitable match for her, but in vain. One day, however, when the princess was moving in the royal garden, she heard some kinnaris singing a song in admiration of Pārsvanātha, a very virtuous and hardsc me sen of king Aśvasena of Varanasi. The Kinnaris said that the would be wife of Pārsvarātha was present in that very garden and further that who could be more fortunate than that lady. The song created a longing for Pārsvanātha in the heart of the princess. When the matter was brought to the knowledge of Prasenjit, he agreed to give Prabhāvati in marriage to Pārsvanātha. The news of Prabhāvati marrying Pārsvanātha spread far and wide, and Yavana, the king of Kalinga came to know about the marriage. He became furious and declared that during his life time Pārsvanātha would not be able to marry Prabhāvati. He proceeded to Kusasthalapur with a huge army. Prasenjit at this sent his envoy to king Aśvasena requesting for help, who in turn, sent Pārsvanātha to save Prasenjit. Having known the presence of Parśva in the city, however, the king of Kalinga decided not to fight and finally withdrew to his kingdom."
M.M. Chakravarty and A.C. Mittale on the basis of the above story of Pārsvanātha charita written by Bhavadeva Suri during the 13th century A.D. connected the panels of the upper storey of Rāņi-Gumphā to Pārsvanātha. As a result they suggest the elephant scene introduces Pārsva's future wife with her relatives and attendants, that in
3. P.C. Ray, Translation, Mahābhārata, śānti Parva, p. 4, 8. 4. M.M. Chakravarty, Bengal District Gazetteer, Puri, L.S.S. O'Malley (Ed.), p. 256. 5. Ibid, p. 256. 6. A.C. Mittal, An early History of Orissa, pp. 383-84.
