Book Title: Jaina Monuments Of Orissa
Author(s): R P Mohapatra
Publisher: D K Publications

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 67
________________ History of Jainism in Orissa 45 The tanks that exist to this day are quite big and their excavations indicate a high state of civilisation. But that is not all. Iron implements of husbandry, tools, broken swords have been dug out in pretty large number from the mounds. Images of stone, some of them exquisitely carved and belonging to Jaina pantheon have been unearthed. Ruined temples of stone stand in cluster indicating the high water mark of civilisation. Tradition asserts that each Sarāke family had its own temple as its own tank. No graveyard exists near the site of settlement and the question naturally arises whether the Sarākas used to burn their dead. It is not possible to give a definite answer. The graveyard with its stone memorials is the last thing to perish, and if it existed at all it should have outlived the ruined temples. Tradition does not tell us anything about the manner in which they used to dispose of their dead. In the absence of better evidence we may presume that the Sarakas used to burn their dead. The Famanghati copper plate102 grants of Fanabhañja records grant of villages to the Sarākas (weavers) in Devakunda and Korapindiya Vişayas of Uttarkhanda of Khijjinga. The villages so granted were Timandira, Nankola, Jamvapodaka and Vasantagrāma. From Charampa (Bhadrak) a number of Jaina relics were brought to the Orissa State Muscum and still there are a few available in the site. A large tank is also noticed at the place. All these Jaina relics were found under a banyan tree on the eastern bank of the tank. Sarikos (Tantis), a class of weavers of the earlier days were associated with their worship. In Dhenkanal district a number of Sarāka settlements also found in the Sadar subdivision. The villages like Kartapiţanā. Rajuāpāțanā, Aukhumāpāțaņā, Sarāka Pāțaņā, Nuagāon Pāțaņā, Champār tană, Jen sähupātā, ctc. are all inhabited by the Sarākas. Some of them even today live on weaving clothes. The more affluents among them practice various trades. In Athagarh, Banki, Baramba and Tigiria areas of Cuttack district these Sarākas settling in villages lile Arakhapatana, Rago-dipātaņā, Nuāpāšanā, Jaripāțaņā and Manja tandha foliow weaving as their main occupation. Of late some of them indulged in trades of local commodities. Few of them also practice agriculture. In all these villages they vigorously follow thc habits and manners like their Sarāka bretherns scitled clsewhere. Their religious affinity must have been with Jainism. We have recovered a Jair a Tinthaikara image frem village Hatamala of Tigiria area. Another Tirthankara inage is also noticed in the Rupanātha temple of Narasinghpur area. In the past two Jaina Tirthankara images were also found preserved in the Baramba palace. In Vaideswara of Earki arca also a Jajna Pārsvanātha image is kept inside a small temple. 103 102. S.N. Rajguru, Triscriptions of Orissa. Vol. VI, p. 7. 103. C.D. Malapatre, Archaeological Rencins of Narasimhapur (Oriya).

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384