Jainism in Bihar

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

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and West Bengal. Many a traveller, particularly motorists while passing are said to have taken away a number of · small images. Some of the Pujaries (priests) or the local
people have also gone to the length of selling the images for the paltry sum of Rs. 5)- or so. It is a sad reflection on human character that such images should be subjected to rapacious vandalism or commercialisation. In the course of his tour in the area the writer came to know that nearabout Ladburka, a big village on Purulia-Hura road, several antiquities had recently been found by a casual digging of a place by the road side for the performance of a Pujab and these have been removed by some persons.
Katrasgarh which is now so very important for collieries was once the seat of Jain culture. Within half a mile to the south of Katrasgarh railway station on both the sides of the river Damodar there are a number of neglected ancient Jain images. Some of them have disappeared according to local information. To the south of the river there is a big Jain statue in nudity and a number of smaller statues. There are a number of temples, about 16 in number, and some are analogous to Jalo shrines. There is also an inscription in one of these temples and two lines of it have been deciphered. One line refers to the protection of the Srawakas and the other mentions that the temples were built by the Jains.
At Chechgaongarh in Dhanbad on the banks of the river Damodar there are a number of ruins and temples. Near to, and east of, the largest temple at a ledge of rock on the west bank of the rivulet there are two lines of inscription and the first line mentions Chichitagara and the second line mentions Srayaki Rachhabansidra. Beglar visited this area also and in his report holds positively “there were Jain or Srawaki temples bere ; the carved architrave representing seated a figure with the halo is therefore probably a relic of the Jain temple."
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