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Lord Mahâvîra
Kollaga settlement (Sannivesa) there was a Penance Chamber (Pausadhasala) of the Nagas.2
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There is reference to Nayasanda or Nagavana (Garden of the Nagas) near the outskirts of Northern Ksatriya Kundagrama. In the Jaina Agamas Naya (Naga) is mentioned along with the clan names of Ugra. Rajanya, Kaoravva and Ksatriya. Great personages like the Tithankaras come of these.12 There are references to the struggle of the Nagas and the Kauravvas. A Naga named Taksa killed PariKsita, his son Janamejaya avenged the murder of his father. He drove the Nagas out of Taksasila and burnt many of them.13 Thus the history of the Nagas is very old and famous and is available from the Northern and the Southern India. Reference to Naga Kings is also found in the history of Nepal.14
Iksvaku, Kasyapa and Naya
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Mahâvîra belonged to the Iksvaku Dynasty. His gotra (family name) was Kasyapa. Then how could he have been a Naya? But the Nagas also originated from the Iksvaku Dynasty. Kasyapa is the family name of the Iskvakus. According to the Mahabharata the Nagas descended from Kadru, one of the wives of the hermit. In both the Mahabharata and the Visnu Purana wherever their present clan is mentioned it is Naga and wherever their traditional dynasty and family names are mentioned these are Iksvaku and Kasyapa respectively.
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Naga clan in the Jaina Tradition
The Nagas were of pre-Aryan stock. Their relation with the Jainism was very old. Nami and Vinami-sons of Kaccha and Mahakaccha followed lord Brisabha. They were imploring the Lord for a gift of a Kingdom but the Lord was silent. At that time the Naga King came to pay homage to the Lord. He taught them some occult lore and constructed for them 60 cities in the
northern and 50 in the southern part of Mt. Baitadhya.17
The history of Nagapuja (snake-worship) almost belonged to that period. 18
According to Acharya Ksitimohan Sen the practice of worship is non-Vedic. He writes "Many people believe that practice of worship is also Vedic. The truth is that the word is not
