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But both these places are not located in Videha, to the north of Ganges: they are in Magadha, to the south of the Ganges; and thus they contradict the clear references found in the early texts of both the sects. As a matter of fact, Jacobi and other foreign scholars expressed doubt about these places; and they considered the evidence impartially and strictly from the historical point of view. It is their researches that have identified Vaiśāli Kunda-pura.
The antiquity of these two places, which are looked upon at present to be the birth-places of Mahāvira does not go far back in time. It appears that there were Jainas in large numbers in the territories of Videha and Magadha for about twelve hundred years after Mahāvīra.
The Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsiang came to India in the 7th century during the reign of Harṣa-vardhana, and he tried to visit all the Buddhist holy places. He visited Vaiśālī too; and he observes, in his travel reports, quite clearly that there were more nirgranthas, i.e., Jainas, than Buddhists in Vaiśāli.
But thereafter it seems that the conditions changed to a great extent; and for various reasons the number of Jainas went on decreasing. Then after some centuries the Jainas came to and settled down in this part perhaps during the Mugal period for trade and commerce; and not so much on the archaeological and historical evidence, but just from similarity of names and misled by inauthentic local hearsay, they mistook Kuṇḍalapura and Lacchū-vāḍa as the birthplace of Mahāvīra.
Both the localities have become and will continue to be places of pilgrimage on account of the temples built there, images solemnly set up, pious faith of the people and regularity of the pilgrimage..
But now we have realized that the real birth-place of Mahāvīra is Vaiśāli and Kundala-pura; it is accepted on all hands by Indian and European scholars; even the Government of Bihar have given recognition to them by erecting memorial for Mahāvīra and also by establishing a Research Institute there. Under these circumstances, the Jainas as a community
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