Jaina Monuments Of Orissa

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

Page 58

Jaina Monuments of Orissa
railings or Vikșa chaitya and the svastika are more commonly available not only in sculptures of ancient period, but also profusely decorate the punch-marked coins even having much earlier dates.
Sashikanta79 accepted the svastika and nandipada or nadyāvrata symbols as ones among the eight auspicious things required at the time of worship among the Jainas, but he regarded the vadha-mangala and the vk$a-chaitya symbols as replicas of a crown and the royal standard respectively as they occur at the beginning and end of the famous Hāthi-Gumphā inscription of Khāravela.
Elaborating his contention further N.K. Dash is of the opinion that the Kalinga Jina (symbol of Jina in Kalinga) which had been taken from Orissan part of Kalinga by Nandarāja of Magadha of the 4th or 5th century B.C. was brought back to Kalinga by the then Kalinga Emperor, Khāravela, who was a professed Jaina. This Kalinga Jina, therefore, was there long before the 4th or the 5th century B.C. It was then a symbol of philosophy of Jagannātha.
It is very interesting to observe that evidently the Jina symbol (Kalinga Jina) of Puri coast was not there in Puri from the 4th century B.C. to the 1st century B.C. During these centuries, it appears, this empty-place of the symbol was a sacred place called Vedi (altar) or Mahāvedi (great altar). In Mahabhārata after crossing the river Vaitarani Yudhişthira proceeds on towards this place and bathes at this sacred Vedi on the coast 80 and then from there goes to the Mahendra mountain. The same name Vedi and Mahāvedi in the same place is mentioned in the Skandal Purana as the place where Jagannātha images were established replacing Nilamadhava. The same stone, it may give rise to the name of Nilamadhava when it was re-established by Khāravela after more than 300 years.
m there goes to tentioned in the Skandhava. The sam
M. Mansinha82 examining the Gālamādhava Legend indicates that the imaginary replica of the Nilmalāj Siva-lingam worshipped by the Savaras was perhaps later changed into a Jaina Tirthankara image, probably of Jinanātha or Jineśvara and that king Gājamādhava is no other than the historic king Khāravela of Kalinga who had recovered a Jaina image from Magadha and had installed in a place surrounded by the sea as Kusa grasss steppes." This description in the Hathi-Gumphā inscription fits in which the town of Puri even to day. The sudden disappearance of the deity in the legend refers perhaps to the snatching away of the Jaina image from Orissa by victorious Nanda king of Magadha. The Hāthi-Gumpha inscription proudly mentions its recovery by Khāravela after defeating the Magadha king. In the national consciousness of Orissa the historical Khāsavela changed into legendary Gālamādhava as the great restorer. Khāravela also restored Jainism in Orissa in place of Buddhism which was accepted by Aśoka as the state religion.
79. Sashikanta, Hathi-Gumpha Inscription of Khāravela and the Bhäbru edict of Asoka, p. 64. 80. Mahābhārata, Vanaparva (Tirthajatra Parva), Vangavasi, Edition, Ch. 114, Verse. 22-27, Bhandarkar
Oriental Rescarch Institute, Bombay, Ed. Ibid, Verse. 22-26. 81. Skanda Purana, (Utkal Khanda), XVIII, 16, XIX, 36, XXIX, 34. etc. 82 M. Mansinha, Saga of the land of Jagannātha, pp. 60,61.