Jainism in India

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

Page 60

JAINISM IN INDIA
Hastinapura-Hastinapura was the birth-place of the 16th, 17th and 18th Tirthankaras Santinatha, Kunthunatha and Aranatha. Besides, Jaina traditions mention a visit of Lord Rsabhadeva to the city of Hastinapura after taking to asceticism, for alms in order to break his one-year fast at the hands of Sreyansakumara, king of Hastinapura. Lord Parsvanatha had visited this place. Lord Mahavira has been mentioned in the Bhagavati Sūtra as having ordained the king Siva of Hastinapura. In the 3rd century B.C. during the reign of Sampriti it has been mentioned as a provincial capital. After this we do not come across any reference to this great city. But it had not gone out of existence totally, for, in the 14th century A.D., again we come across a reference to this great city in Vividha Tirthakalpa of Jinaprabha Suri who was the most revered person at the court of the Muslim king Muhamad Tughlak. He paid a visit specially to Hastinapura and gives a list of some historical persons who were born in Hastinapura or visited this place. He also mentions that there were four Jaina temples existing at Hastinapura associated with Lords Santinatha, Kunthunatha, Aranatha and Mallinatha and another temple that of Amba devi. The temples have been mentioned to be sufficiently old, which must have been built
turies earlier. To-day, however, there is no trace of the great city of the ancient times at all, and in place of the big Jaina temples there exist only three memorials of the Jaina Tirthankaras.
Sauripura-Sauripura near Agra was the birth-place of the 22nd Tirthankara Neminatha.
Ahichatra-Ramnagar in Bareilly district and its surrounding region was once the site of well-known ancient city of Ahichatra. It was in Ahichatra that Lord Parsvanatha attained kevala knowledge and probably this place bears the name of Ahichatra from the incident of Naga Dharanendra's spreading the hood over the head of Parsvanatha to protect him from the heavy rains caused by wicked Kamatha.
Mathura---Mathura was an ancient centre of Jainism. It appears that the Jaina community at Mathura was rich and influential as shown by the magnificent monuments left behind by them. Indeed the Jainas have maintained their holy traditions at Mathura upto this day.
The excavations at Kankali Tila yielded a number of sculptures and architectural pieces, which once belonged to the two stūpas at the site. A very early Jaina stupa which existed at Mathura and which as we
know from inscriptions was called devanirmitah stupa may probably