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IDOL-WORSHIP IN JAINA RELIGION AND ENTRY OF OSTENTATIOUS RITUALISM
Though the tradition of temple building and image worship began in Jaina dharma just about 100 years after Mahāvīra's Nirvāṇa during Nanda period, it is difficult to ascertain as to whether an excavated headless figure from Harappa is Jaina or not, but a Jaina-idol of Maurya period found in Lohanipur in Patna is indicative of the fact that the culture of idol-worship was there in Jaina religion and that there had been an influence of the contemporary traditions.
Ritualism and spiritual endeavours are indispensable parts of every religion. Ritualism is its body and spiritualism is its life-essence. Both these kinds of tendencies are clearly visible inIndian religions right from ancient times. Whereas the original Vedic tradition was mainly ritualistic, the ancient traditions were Meditational. But still, it is difficult to completely separate both these tendencies from one another. The code of spiritual and religious Sadhana of Sramanic tradition gradually developed into expressions of different forms of ritualism. It is proved from various internal and external evidences that most of the rituals have come from the influences of either Brahmanic, Vedic or other traditions.
Jaina tradition basically is a part of Sramanic tradition and therefore, in its original form it was against rituals and was mainly spiritualistic. The denunciation of rituals like Yajña, oblations and bathing etc. in older scriptures like Uttarādhyayana proves this point. As we have mentioned earlier, the special feature of Uttarādhyanana is that it gave a spiritual form to the rituals or other ceremonies performed in the name of religion. Jaina tradition has openly opposed the acts of social exploitations by the Brahmin class
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Jainism and its History
