Jaina Monuments and Places First Class Importance

Author(s): T N Ramchandran
Publisher: Veer Shasan Sangh Calcutta

Page 11

RAJAGRIA
3
according to Buddhist tradition, Ajàtasattu was a son of Bimbi sata by a Vidchan queen (Ajālasaitu Vedehiputio)
During the reign of Bimbisära and Ajataśatru the city cl Rajagrha was at the height of its prosperity. The Jaina texts (Jaina Sutras) describe Rajagaha as a city which was rich, happy and thriving. Jinaprabha-sün tells us that it contained 36,000 houses of merchants, hall of which belonged to the Buddhists, and the other half belonged to the Jainas shown forth in the middle as a row of magnificent buildings. Buddhaghosa, too, mentions Rajagaha as a city, the inner and outer areas of which contained cach nic crores of people. At the time of Hiuen Tsiang's visit in the 7th century A.D. 'the only inhabitants of the city were 1,000 Brahmin families' and many Digambaras lodged on the Pi-pu-lo mountain who practised austerities incessantly.
The Jaina records and traditions, earlier as well as later, aie mainly responsible for the modern nomenclature of the hills around Rajgir. If one enters Rajgir from the north, the hill which lies to the right is Vaibharagin; that which lies to the left is Vipulagiri; the one which stands at right angles to the Vipula and runs southwards parallel to the Vaibhara is Ratnagiri; the one forming the eastern extension of the Ratnagiri is Chhathagiri and the hills that stands next to Chhathagiri in continuation of the latter is Sailagiri. The one opposite to the Chhathagiri is Udayagiri, that which lies to the south of Ratnagiri and the west of Udaya is Sonagiri. The Vaibharagiri extends southward and westward ultimately to form the western entrance of Rajgir with the Sonagiri. The Vipula-parvata runs for some length towards the south-east leading to the northern range of hills that extends up to the village called Giriyak or Giryek on the Bihar-SharifNawadah road. The Ratnagiri streches southward for some distance and then bends eastward, the eastern hills Chhathagiri and Sailagiri extending towards north-east forming the northern range of Rajgir hills. The Chhathagiri and the Sailagiri form the east