Jainism in Bihar

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

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the Jains. He says that Mahapal, Devapal, etc, were Jain merchants, not kings.
In the Bhagwati Suth in 45,000 slokes is contained an account of the Avatars and Jain Rajahs. The Tara Tambul gives an account of the places of pilgrimage, with their distance. He has a good many books in Sanskrit, but not the Bhagwati Suth. The Jains' images that are sitting have both their hands supine and across. Those standing have both hands down, with the palms turned forwards. They have 48 female deities, Padmawati, Chukreswori, Chundrakangta, Sri Maloni, etc. They make offerings of flowers and fruits to them. Some have many arms.
He says that Vihar is the proper name of the place, and has always been its name in the vulgar dialect. It obtained the Sanskrit appellation Bisalapur in the time of Mahavir.
The old images in the fort at Behar, the Joti says, are all of the Buddhists. One, a small stone with a muni on each of four faces, contains a short inscription, but so much defaced that no meaning can be extracted from the parts that are legible. Without the south gate, under a young tree, some broken images have been collected, but I had no opportunity of consulting the Joti concerning them. One is a female sitting, with two elephants, above her head".
Buchanan mentions that he found Pauya and Puri were two distinct places. At Puri the Jains had detected three places of worship and the farthest south was the place where Mahavir was burnt. Buchanan found a Brahmin, a Telangana of the sect of Vishnu and a Mali being incharge of the temple which was erected and kept in good repairs by the family of Jogot Seit. North of a tank there was another place of worship in the honour of the feet of Mahavira. At Puri there was a big temple consisting of two courts surrounded by brick wall and with very small doors. In the centre were three representations of the feet of Mahavira (Charan Cinha) who expired at that place.
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