Religion and Culture of the Jains

Author(s): D C Sirkar
Publisher: University of Calcutta

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RELIGION AND CULTURE OF THE JAINS
for a happy wedded life abstain specially from nice food for twenty-four hours. 8
Bathing of Gomateśvara. Another rare act of Jain worship is the bathing of colossal figures such as that of Gomateśvara at Śravaņa-Belgola, which takes place every twenty-five years. This is the festival of the Diganıbara Jains. The idol of Gomateśvara was made about 983 A.D."
Mauna Ekādaśī. The Svetāmbaras once a year keep solemn fast called Mauna Ekādaśī or Maunagyārasa on the eleventh day of some month preferably the 11th of the bright half of Mārgaśirşa (November-December). This day is generally spent in fasting with a vow of silence for the whole day, and the worshipper meditates on each of the five stages, viz. Sādhu, Upādhyāya, Ācārya, Tirthankara and Siddha.10
Añjanaśalākā. Besides the regularly recurring holy days of the year, there are special occasions of rejoicing such as Añjanaśalākā (the consecration of a new idol) which is celebrated with great pomp.11
Divāļi or Dipāvaļi.12 Apart from the festivals and fasts described above which are observed only by the Jains, there are other festivals which are observed by Jains along with the Hindus. Among such festivals, the Divāli is the most important as well as sacred. It has, however, been given a Jain sanction by calling it the day on which Mahāvira passed to Nirvāņa ; the celestial and other beings who were present at that time worshipped him and instituted an illumination saying, “Since the light of intelligence is gone, let us make an illumination of material matter."18 From that time, the followers of Mahāvira celebrate every year the festival of lamps in honour of his achieving liberation. The Jain era known as Viranirvāņa Samvat also begins from this date. On this day,
8 Stevension, The Heart of Jainism, p. 263.
9 B. L. Rice, Mysore and Coorg from Inscriptions, p. 47. 10 Nahar and Ghosh, op. cit., p.676. 11 Stevenson, The Heart of Jainism, p. 263. 12 Ibid., pp. 260-61. 13 SBE, Vol. XXII, p. 266.