Jainism

Author(s): N R Guseva
Publisher: Sindu Publications P L

Page 63

DEVELOPMENT OF JAINISM IN BIHAR
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Many rulers of ancient Bihar rendered patronage to the Jain community, which possibly testifies to the long acquaintance of its population with Jainism. Chetaka, the most famous ruler of Lichhavi gave his sister Trisala to Jain Siddhartha in marriage, and from this marriage Mahavir was born. Representatives of the dynasty of Shaishunaga (sixth century B.C.)Bimbisara and Ajatshatru-were, according to legend, related to Mahavir and professed Jainism. The members of the Nanda dynasty (fifth-sixth centuries B.c.) were Jains. According to Jain legends Chandragupta Maurya was also a Jain and lived as an ascetic for 12 years and died in Shravanbelgol in Mysore. Some others consider that Ashoka Maurya also professed Jainism in youth11 and introduced this religion in Kashmir (confirmation of this is found in the Kashmirian chronicle “Rajatarangini”).12 Samprati, grandson of Ashoka greatly contributed to the spread of Jainism.13
Kharavela the illustrious ruler of the Kalinga state (whose people knew Jainism from the times of Parshva, i.e. from the eighth century B.C.), living in the second century B.C. was one of the warmest patrons of Jainism. In Kalinga, Jainism was known as far back as the eighth century B.C.14 and evidently, it penetrated in southern India through Kalinga.
This religion had spread also in Bengal before the seventh century A.D. Suan Tsyan writes that there were many nude ascetics, called 'nirgrantha' (even at present in several places in Bengal statues of Tirthankaras are worshipped but they are called not Jeena but Bhairav i.e. Shiva).15
Thus we see that this religious faith had spread widely in the first millennium B.C. precisely in the eastern regions of India, populated mainly by non-Aryan peoples. But the establishment of Aryan domination, the spread of the institution of varna and caste-structure and also the institution of Brahmanism, led to the departure of Jains and their religious teachers
10. V. A. Smith, Early History of India, p. 154; P. Thomas, Epics, Myths and Legends of India, p. 186.
11. E. Thomas, Early Faith of Ashoka. 12. V. A. Sangave, Jaina Community, p. 379. 13. V. A. Smith, op. cit., p. 458. 14. V. A. Sangave, op. cit., p. 380. 15. Ibid., p. 330.
anounity, p. 379.
14.
V. A
chith, op. cit., p