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CHAPTER XIII JAIN ANTIQUITIES IN MUZAFFARPUR
In his journeys for the propagation of Jainism Mabavira had visited Vaisali. Vaisali is in Hajipur subdivision of Muzaffarpur district. It is connected by road either from Hajipur or Muzaffarpur. Vaisali is mentioned in the Ramayana. It is stated that the Ikshvaku Queen Alambusha bad a son Visala who founded the city named Visalapuri. One of the descendants of Visala was Sumati who who was a host of Sri Ramchandra. King Visala is also mentioned in some of the Puranas.
Vaisali was already a prosperous place when Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th of the Jain Tirthankars, had visited the place. According to some Vaisali is the birtb place of Mahavira.
This theory is not accepted by a large section of the Digambars being against Digambara Jain Siddhanta. It is also not accepted by all the Swetambars. It is a controversial matter at the best. For our purposes it will be useless to enter into an academic discussion if the theory of Vaisali being Mahavira's birth place is correct or not.
Regarding the historicity of the place Dr. Radha Kumud Mookerji in his article "Vaisali in Indian History and Culture"* mentions :-“Vaisali was then at the height of its prosperity with its three districts containing, according to the Tibetan tradition, houses numbering 7000, 14000 and 21000 respectively, and, according to a Jataka, was encompassed by three walls with their separate gates and watch-towers. According to the Mahavastu, the citizens of Vaisali were
"Homage to Vaisali", Vaisali Sangha, Vaisali, Muzaffarpur.
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