Jainism and Mahavira

Author(s): Bhagchandra Jain Bhaskar
Publisher: Digambar Jain Sahitya Sanskriti Sanskaran Samiti

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death should have taken place in 478 B.C. In support of this view they suggest that Mahavira dies sixteen years after the accession of Ajatasatru, and according to the Ceylonese chronicles, the Buddha dies eight years after the enthronement of Ajatasatru (323-155 = 478 B.C.)26.
Hoernle with a more comprehensive attitude suggests 484 B.C. as the date of Mahavira's death and 483 B.C. as the date of Buddha's death. He is of view that the war took place not in the year of Ajatasatru's legal, but of his de facto accession27.
H.C. Seth suggests 488 B.C. as the date of Mahavira's death on the basis of the Buddhist tradition, assuming 487 B.C. as the date of the Buddha's death 28. B.C. Law postulated 498 B.C. as the date of Mahavira's Parinirvana and 486 or 484 B.C. as the Buddha's Parinirvana on the ground that Mahavira passed away as a Jina about twelve years before the Buddha29.
The orthodex Jaina tradition which dated the death of Mahavira in 527 B.C. appears to be more reliable. It is stated that the date of Chandragupta Maurya's accession falls 215 years after the death of Mahavira. According to Hemacandra, the accession took place 155 years after the death of Mahavira. Here Hemacandra appears to be wrong in calculation. He omitted by oversight the period of 60 years of king Palaka who on the same day began to rule at Ujjaini after the death of Mahavira. Afterwards Nanda's dominion is listed for 155 years. Then commences the enthronement of Chandragupta Maurya. The Chandragupta Maurya's accession took place in 322 B.C. This accession must be on Avanti which was held 10 years earlier than Pataliputra accession. Therefore the death of Mahavira must be an event of 527 B.C. (322-10 +215 = 527 B.C. This view can be supported if we accept the Vikrama era commenced with Vikrama's death and Vikrama was born 470 years after the death of Mahavira (57 + 470 = 527 B.C.). According to the Titthogali Painnaya, (620-623) the Saka Samvat commences 605 years and 5 months after the death of Mahavira. This fact also supports the view of 527 B.C.) as the date of Mahavira's parinirvana. The Pali Nikayas, as a matter of fact, 26. An Advanced History of India, pp.85-86
27. Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, Ed. by J.Hastings, Vol. 1.pp.260-61. 28. Bhatata Kaumudi, Part 11, pp. 817-838.
29. Mahavira: His Life and Teachings, by B.C.Law, p. 55
30. See in detail the Author's Book "Jainism in Buddhist Literature, 1972, pp. 26
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