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Lord Mahâvîra
like patience, self-control and compassion. As he had transcended the differentiation between the good and the bad, and could look upon the whole of creation as one integral whole, he was praised as an Arhat. His disciples grew in number as he preached ahimsa. After engineering a revolution in the religious universe of India for thirty years. Mahâvîra withdrew from his mortal body at the village of Pavapur. This day is observed by Jains as Diwali by lighting lamps, indicating the spiritual Lamp that went out at Mahâvîra's passing away.
The advent of Mahâvîra had far-reaching effects on India's cultural history. Jainism denied the existence of God. In this sense, it is atheistic. However, the Indian ethos is one of synthesis where art, architecture, music, literature and philosophy gather under a single inspiration and enrich the day-to-day life of the Indians. The God idea of the Hindus has given us grand temples, heartwarming literature, glorious art. For the Jains, the Tirthankaras took the place of God, as these 'ford-makers' had acquired divine proportions. Revering them with fasts and festivities, worshipping them with flowers and incense, representing them in stone and wood, a mind-boggling Jain cultural world came into being after Mahavira's ministry. Despite the depredations of time and foreign invaders, Jainism has survived as a living, growing religion in India. It is said that the first Tirthankara, Rishabhadeva, was himself a teacher of arts and crafts. He said that unless man could appreciate arts and literature, man was but an animal sans tail. Down the centuries a rich Jain mythology has come into being, giving rise to a wonderfully varied temple architecture. The marble glory of the Mt. Abu complex surpasses verbal description. Five rock-cut caves in Ellora have representations of the twenty-four Tirthankaras. There are very ancient Jain caves at Ankai near Nasik. Sithannavasal, Kazhukumalai, Tiruparuthikundram and Vijayamangalam are some of the places in Tamil Nadu where temples have been built to worship Tirthankaras.
Temple construction has meant the consecration of statues as well. The massive Bahubali statue at Sravanabelagola was raised by the Yadava king Chamundaraya. The Indrasabha and Jagannathasabha caves at Ellora contain images of Mahâvîra set up for worship. The idol of Rishabhadeva at Vijayamangalam, the Pancha-parameshtis in Moodubidiri, the representation of the
