Jainism in India

Author(s): Ganesh Lalwani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 23

JAINISM IN INDIA
third piece was brought out from among a heap of old bricks and pieced up. The image was found to be a fine specimen of Rsabhadeva.
The next important group of Jaina shrines in ruins are found at Dulmi, twentyfive miles west of Bara Bazar. Dulmi is a small village on the banks of Suvarnalekha river. There are numerous mounds, some of stone and others of bricks. The Jaina temples are all exclusively at the extreme north end of what was probably the old city.
A few miles from Dulmi is the small village of Deoli. There is a group of old temples at Deoli and they all appear to have been Jaina. Research and exploration in this area are bound to bring out more relics. When Beglar visited Suissa, a village near Deoli, he found under a banyan tree a collection of statues some of which are Jaina. It is a tragedy that neglect has encouraged vandalism and some of the figures Beglar saw do not exist at the site now.
There are several other villages which were not noticed by Beglar but which evidently had exclusive Jaina images. One of the most important of such villages is Karcha about six miles from Purulia. There are a large number of Jaina statues and five ancient mounds, the excavation of which is likely to yield fruitful results. At Bhavanipur, which is about one mile to the east of Karcha, an image of Rsabhanatha has been found. Besides it, under another tree, some other images including that of Padmavati and Dharanendra are found. The image of Dharanendra and Padmavati is now taken to be of Hara-Parvati.
Another such village is Anai about three miles from Karcha, on the river Kasai. Nearabout Anai village there are other ruins of brickbuilt old temples. The village of Bauridih near Ladurka on PuruliaHura road has recently yielded five Jaina images. It is a very significant fact that even the most casual observer while going along PuruliaHura road will be seeing Jaina images lying scattered in almost every village on this road.
Katrasgarh which is now so very important for collieries was once the seat of Jaina 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 Jaina images.
At Chechgaongarh in Dhanbad on the banks of the river Damodar there are a number of ruins and temples. Beglar visited this area also