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RELIGION AND CULTURE OF THE JAINS
There is paucity of evidence to present a clear picture of the state of Jainism during Nanda rule in Bihar; but the removal of the image of the Jina from Kalinga to Pațaliputra by the Nanda king of Magadha, seems to suggest his faith in Jainism.17
That Jainism continued to be a popular faith of Bihar during the Mauryan period is known from the association of Candragupta Maurya with the Jains, his migration to SravanaBelgola (in Mysore) along with Bhadrabahu, the last of the Jain Śrutakevalins, in c. 300 B. C., and his death at the place as is generally accepted by scholars. Sthulabhadra, one of the Jain patriarchs, is known to have convened a Jain council at Paṭaliputra in the reign of this ruler to settle finally the canonical texts.18 Another interesting evidence of the existence of a Jain centre at Pațaliputra about the 4th century B.C. is supplied by a beautiful nude image (now in the Patna Museum) discovered at Lohanipur in Patna.19 The shining polish of the image shows that it belongs to the Mauryan age." 20 According to Bhandarkar, Aśoka uses the term Saṁgha while speaking of the Buddhists alone, but Śramana while referring to the Jains as well. 21 Jainism continued to be a living faith during the time of Aśoka. Samprati, the grandson of Asoka, is believed to have been a Jain, being converted to the Svetāmbara creed by Suhastin, and is said to have sent Jain missionaries to South India. He is said to have builtnumerous Jain temples. 22
17 See line 12 of the Häthigumpha inscription of Kharavela in Sircar, Sel. Ins., p. 217; JBORS, Vol. III, 1917, pp. 425, 472; Vol: IV, 1918, pp. 364ff.
18 "It is quite in keeping with the tradition that there should be a temple of Sthulabhadia in the city, which is located in Gulzarbagh ward", (Altekar and Mishra, Rep. Kum. Exca., 1951-55, p. 10).
19 U. P. Shah, Studies in Jain Art, Pt. I, fig. 2.
20 Other Jain relics of Mauryan Bihar are a number of caves in the Barabar and Nagarjuni hills, dedicated by Aśoka and Dasaratha to the Ajivika sect whose leader, Mankhaliputta Gosala, was once a disciple and later a rival of Mahavira. See Bhagavatisutra, XV. 547, 549; also Basham. History and Doctrine of the Ajivikas, pp. 60ff.
21
Bhandarkar, Aśoka, pp. 168ff. [Sic-Ed.]
22 Brhatkalpa-bhāṣya, Vol. III, pp. 917-21, Gāthās 3285-89.
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