Some Aspects of Jainism in Eastern India

Author(s): Pranabananda Jash
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publisher's Pvt Ltd New Delhi

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Some Aspects of Jainism in Eastern India
bronzes from Chausa near Buxar in Bihar seem to belong to the first-second centuries of the Christian era. They are characterised by crude workmanship but valuable for showing the continuity and extent of influence of the Mathura school.40 The earliest specimen of Jaina art is supposed to be a highly polished torso of a Jina image from Lohanipur near Patna belonging to the Maurya period."1 Another unpublished later torso of a Jina in the kayotsarga pose has also been found from this place. Evidently these torsos represented some tirthankaras.12 A mutilated head of the Jaina tirthankara discovered by A. Banerji-Sastri from the same site is generally placed during the time of the Mauryas.13
A large number of Jaina antiquities have been discovered from different villages of the Manbhum and Singhbhum districts in the Chotanagpur division, Bihar. Mahīvīra is said to have visited Safa in the Manbhum district when he was on tour for the spread of his faith. It is said that the aboriginal inhabitants of this place were not very keen to listen to or follow Mahāvira and that he was even molested by them." But Mahāvīra with his resolute and firmness succeeded to establish his faith and ultimately his sense of sobriety and saintliness touched the heart of the tribal people and many were converted to Jainism.
The Jainas also known by the name of Srāvakī were once very influential in the district of Singhbhum in Bihar. The Saraks or Sravakas of today are nothing but an extension of the Jaina followers of ancient times. In this connection O'Malley observes: "The rame Sarawak, Serak or Sarak is clearly a corruption of Sravaka, the Sanskrit word for a hearer, which used by the Jainas for the lay brethren, i.e., Jainas engaged in secular pursuit, as distinguished from Yati, i.e., priests or ascetics. It appears probably that the latter remained in Manbhum where several Jaina temples have been found while the Srāvakes or lay Jainas penetrated the jungles, where they were regarded with the discovery of copper, upon the working of which they must have spent all their time and energy."45
Hunter has given an account of the prevalence of this faith in a village named Palma which is situated on the bank of the river Kasai and is, according to Bloch, close to milestone 10 on the Purulia-Manbazar road. Hunter "refers to a large mound of a Jaina temple, covered with stone and brick and with numerous images of the Jaina tirthank aras scattered about. One of the images was larger than life-size and was broken into two parts.