Jaina Monuments Of Orissa

Author(s): R P Mohapatra
Publisher: D K Publications

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Jaina Monuments of Orissa
the next scene she is abducted by the Kalinga king, that in the fourth scene she is rescued by Parsvanatha in a forest while hunting, that the following scene depicts the wedding feast, the seventh, the consummation of marriage and the eighth scene a march. with elephants. Similarly a frieze in the lower wing may represent Parsvanatha as a Tirthankara, his wanderings and honours shown to him.
But there is no evidence to show that such traditions were prevailing in India in Pre-Christian centuries to inspire the poets and artists of the period. In the Kolpa Sätra, attributed to the 5th century A.D., the account of Pariva's marriage is not represented as the result of such romantic adventures. Moreover, the Parsvanatha charita differs in various details from the story depicted by these relief sculptures. According to the former, the Yavana king invaded the town of Kusasthala and forcibly took away his beautiful princess Pravavati, who was rescued by Pärśvanatha whom she later on married. But the sculptures mentioned above narrate the story of abduction in a different manner making the question of identification of the two accounts inappropriate.
The Jaina Kşetra Samasa represents Pārsvanatha as preaching at Tamralipti and Kopakataka identified respectively with modern Tamluk in West Bengal and Kupări in Orissa. The influence of Parśvanatha on the spiritual life of ancient Orissa was very considerable and there can be no reasonable doubt in the fact that Karanda (Karakandu) the earliest known Jaina king of Kalinga was one of his royal disciples. Karakandu flourished in Kalinga almost contemporaneous with Nimi, the penultimate ruler of the Janaka family of Videha. The Jaina Karakandu charita" reveals that Karakandu was the son of Dadhivahana of Champå instead of king Dadhivahana of Anga whose daughter Chandana or Chandanvat! was the first lady converted to Jainism by Mahavira. N.K. Sahu identified Dadhivahana, the father of Karkanḍu with his name sake described in the Dadhivahana jataka, where he has been represented as cccupying the throne of Benaras. It may be indicated that Anga was a vassal state of Kasi since the time of Manoja, the powerful Käsi monarch and herce Dadhivahana who came after Manoj has been confounded by later Jaina works as the king of Anga. It may, however, be said in support of Jaina tradition that the episode regarding the birth of Karakandu and his installation on the throne of Kalinga took place at the time when his father Dadhivahana was probably a Governor of Anga with the head quarters at Champa. The Jaina tradition reveals that "the queen of Dadhivahana who was heavy with child was once enjoying elephant drive in the forest when she lost her way and ultimately arrived at Kalinga. There she gave birth to a son who grew up in obscurity and was named Karakandu, while the king of Kalinga died without an heir, the boy Karakandu was miraculously chosen as king and with his accession to the throne the prevailing anarchy in Kalinga came to an end."
The Kumbhakara Jataka and Uttaradhyayan Sütta reveal that Karakandu flouri shed in Kalinga as contemporary of Dummukha (Durmukha) king of Päñchala, Naggaje (Nagnajit), king of Gandhara, as well as Nimi, king of Videha.
7. N.K. Sahu, History of Orissa, Vol. I, p. 182.
8. Ibid, p. 179.
9. Ibid, p. 180.