Jaina Stupa At Mathura Art And Icons

Author(s): Renuka J Porwal
Publisher: Prachya Vidyapith

Page 48

The Tradition of Stūpa in Jainism
In Rāmāyana', there are some verses mentioning caityas and yūpas When Rāma went to Dandakāranya via Košala, he found the whole country was adorned with caityas and yūpas. As noted by Shah U. P. here the term caitya is used in a wider application like caitya-prāsādas, caitya-vskşas etc. In Mahābhārata?, there is a mention of a region made sacred with hundreds of caityas and yūpas. At another place the epic refers in glowing term to the country full of caityas and yūpas where caityas are supposed to refer to places of sacred yajñas but may refer to shrines and stūpas also, as referred by Shah U. P.8 In Arthaśāstra, Kautilya refers to caityas in several contexts. He states that people offered pūjā to such places to avert evil attacks of demons. Here the word caitya is used for a shrine having images of deities? Buddhist literature uses the word caitya as a sacred symbol as well as a funeral relic. Lalitavistara refers to the erection of the cetiya at the spot where Chandaka returned with Buddha's ornaments, known as Chandaka-nivartana-caitya10. Here Buddha's cūdā (hair) was worshipped by Trāyastrimśa gods who erected a caitya in its honour. As referred to Dīgha-nikāya, Buddha once lived at the Ananda -cetiya in Bhojanagarall.
5 1) JEREHAT GHIGH STAICI __ अकुतश्चिद्भयानम्याश्चैित्ययूपसमावृतान् ।।
Rāmāyaṇa - II 50, 8 देवायतनचैत्येषु सान्नभक्ष्याः सदक्षिणाः ।
Rāmāyaṇa - II 3.8 II) Shah U. P., Studies in Jaina.., 1955, pp. 46. 6 Shah U. P. ibid, 46. 7 I) fotot era Tornuda: ucfendi बभूव रमणीयश्च चैत्ययूपशताङ्कितः ।।
Mahābhārata, I. 109.13. यत्र यूपा मणिमयाश्चैत्याश्चापि हिरण्मयाः।
Mahābhārata, II. 3.12 II) Shah U. P., Studies in Jaina..., 1955, pp. 45. 8 Ibid. 9 1) 31SHTIỆC SINH GUshefa (III. 18) or dari trinqueperf as ar Tage
यात्रासमाजाभ्यामजीवेत् (V. 2) or एवं गृहीतदुर्गो वा प्राश्यप्राशं चैत्यमुपस्थाप्य दैवतप्रतिमाछिद्रं प्रविश्यासीत् (XII.5)
चैत्यदैवतद्वाररक्षास्थानेषु च सत्रिणः समयकर्मनिक्षेपं हिरण्याभिज्ञानमुद्राणि हिरण्यभाजनानि प्ररुपयेयुः
(XI.1) - Kautilya, Arthasastra. II) Shah U.P., 1955, op. cit. pp. 46 10 I) Lalitvistara, Adhyaya 15, 277-278.
II) Shah U. P. 1955, op. cit. pp. 48. 11 Diggha Nikaya, II.