Mahavira Jain Vidyalay Suvarna Mahotsav Granth Part 1

Author(s): Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya Mumbai
Publisher: Mahavir Jain Vidyalay

Page 588

RÁMAGIŘI ÎN JAINA LITERATURE : 127
The prince of the place supplied all the necessaries of life to Rāma and others and at Rāma's bidding, erected many shrines of the Jinendras. 6
तत्थेव वंससेले पउमाणत्तेण नरवरिन्देणं ।
जिणवरभवणाई तओ निवेसियाई पभूयाई ॥ After staying there for some days, Rāma said to Lakşmaņa,?
अह अन्नया कयाई भणिओ रामेण तत्थ सोमित्ती। मोत्तूण इमं ठाणं अन्नं देसं पगच्छामो ॥ निसुणिज्जइ कण्णरवा महाणई तीए अत्थि परएणं ।
मणुयाण दुग्गमं चिय तरुबहलं दण्डयारणं ॥ (Let us now leave this place and move to another. There is said to be a great river named Karṇaravā, after crossing which one comes across the great forest called) Dandakaranya abounding in trees, which is inaccessible to human beings.)
So Rāma, Laksmana and Sitä left the place and proceeded to Dandakāranya. Vimalasűri then says,
रामेण जम्हा भवणोत्तमाणि जिणिन्दचन्दाण निवेसियाणि ।
तत्थेव तुङ्गे विमलप्पभाणि तम्हा जणे रामगिरी पसिद्धो।। (Since Rāma got erected excellent and brilliant temples of the Jinendras on the high hill, it became well-known thereafter by the name of Rāmagiri.)
It is difficult to say how far the description of Rāmagiri cited above from Vimalasûri's Paümacariya is historically correct. Much of it appears to be imaginary, but it clearly shows that in the age of Vimalasůri (i.e. in circa third century A.D.) there was a hill known by the name of Rāmagiri north of Dandakāranya. Vimalasuri tells us that the hill got this name because Rāma stayed there for some time and got some Jaina temples erected there. The geographical situation of this Rāmagiri suits Rāmțek. That this Rāmagiri (Ramtek) lay to the north of Daņdakāranya appears clear from the description in Bhavabhūti's Uttararāmacarita.9 On the hill of Rāmţek there is still shown the place where the Sūdra ascetic Sambūka was practising
6 Paümacariya, 40, 9. 7 Ibid., 40, 12–13. 8 Ibid., 40, 16. 9 Act II.