Jainism in Buddhist Literature

Author(s): Bhagchandra Jain Bhaskar
Publisher: Alok Prakashan

Page 68

( 49 )
be from Lanka,158 The Karakanducariu describes how Amita. vega, a Jaina king of Malaya, used to visit Laňkādvipa as an intimate friend of Ravana who built a Jaina temple in malaya,159 This Malaya can be identified with Malaya, the name of the central hill country of Ceylon.
These references seem to point out that Jainism existed in Ceylon even before the birth of the Nigantha Nataputta. Vibhiṣaṇa, the younger brother of Ravana, who was a follower of Jainism according to Jain tradition and literature, is referred to as the tutelary Yakṣa of Ceylon (Vibhiṣaṇastamraparaṇiyan) in the Mahāmāyāri, a magical text of Northern Buddhists, which was translated into Chinese in the fourth century A. D. Vibhisana is still worshipped at Kelaniya and is supposed to be one of the four guardian deities of the Island.
Although the supremacy which Buddhism achieved in Ceylon could have led to the suppression of Jainism and incidents similar to the destruction of Giri's monastry by Vaṭṭa-Gamiņi Abhaya could have occurred at different times, Jainism did not disappear from Ceylon till at least after the eighth century. About the tenth century A. D.180 Muni Yasaḥkirti was requested by the then king of Ceylon to improve the state of Jainism in the Island.161 This shows that Jainism not only was in existence at that time in Ceylon, but it also enjoyed the patronage of Sinhala kings of Ceylon.
As regards the Jaina monuments in Ceylon, the view of S. Parnavitana, an authoritative scholar on Ceylon Archaeology, are relevant :
"No remains of any Jaina monuments have ever been found in Ceylon. The earliest Stupas and Viharas of Jainism did not differ from those of Buddhism so much so, that without the evidence of inscriptions or of iconography it would. be extremely difficult to differentiate between the two. Jain iconography had not yet developed in the times that we are dealing with. In the period during which this religion was prevalent in Ceylon, there were no monuments built of durable materials. Moreover, when Jainism disappeared, their places.
4