Jainism in Bihar

Author(s): P C Roy Choudhary
Publisher: P C Roy Choudhary Patna

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Author's Preface When I had visited the antiquities at Kuluha Hill in Bihar sometime back an unmistakable Jain image in a grotto was shown to me as a Buddhist image. The guide did not even know that Kuluha Hill is one of the sacred spots for the Jains. On another occasion when I was trying to take a photograph of the panel of the ancient Jain figures engraved on the wall of the Sonbhandar cave at Rajgir there were certain visitors who observed among themselves that they were all Buddhist figures. I discussed this matter with my esteemed friend Sri Harak Chand Jain of Ranchi and he had extracted a promise that I should write on the Jain antiquities in Bihar many of which were neglected and forgotten. When I started my work on the subject I got the impression that there has not been a proper study of Jain iconography or epigraphy or the old Jain manuscripts in Bihar. I thought an exploratory book on Jainism in Bihar where a large number of Jain Tirthankaras had lived and had preached will be useful.
It is very unfortunate that in spite of a wealth of materials indicating the spread of Jainism in different corners of Bihar and from Bihar to other parts of India there should be a commonly held theory that Jainism had later declined, if not had completely died out in Bihar. Some of the reputed historians Ylli