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A MAP OF MAHẬVÎRA TRAVELS
- Bool Chand Jain
Rahul Sankritayana, a celebrated writer and historian in Hindi has called Mahâvîra a great traveller.” Indeed Mahâvîra travelled over the vast stretches of the country spreading his gospel and gaining disciples and lay votaries for his "reformed Jain church. In the following excerpt from his book "Lord Mahâvîra”, published by Jain Cultural Research Society, Benares in 1948, Dr. Bool Chand a celebrated Indian exponent of the history and archaeology of Jainism, has presented a list of the places where he stayed for the successive rainy seasons after the attainment of Kevala Jnana." It enables us to draw a complete map of Lord Mahâvîra's travels all over the country from the eastern Janapadas to the provinces of Sindhusauvira -(editor)
From the analysis of the various kingdoms and republics of Eastern India, it would appear that Mahâvîra's reformed church gained followers practically all over the vast stretches of the country. The references in the Jain texts enable us to draw a complete map of Lord Mahâvîras travels and to recount the names of some of his prominent followers during the period of his propagation of the faith. The following is the list of the places where he stayed for the successive rainy seasons after the attainment of Kevala Jnana.
Mahâvîra attained the Kevala while setting in meditation in a field out side the town Jrambhikagrama and that he made his first converts and established the Sangha of a Samavasarana near the place of Somitacarya's Yajna. From there the Lord proceeded to Rajgrha, the capital of Magadha, where he initiated the princes Meghakumar and Nandisena into the order of monks, gained numerous lay followers including Sulasa, Abhayakumar, and the King Srenika (Bimbasara) himself. The first rainy season he spent
