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Śramaņa, Vol 56, No. 7-9/July-September 2004
to him, there were naked ascetics in Kapisha. Naked ascetics may be identified with the Digambara Jaina as they used to wander without clothes. One may here raise doubt about this similarity as the followers of some sects like Pāśupatas and Kapāladhārin as they were also roaming as naked. It is important to note here that Huen-tsang as truth-lover gives no place for doubt; he clearly mentions these different sects wherever he finds them. Like Kapisha, Simhapura also had a lot of Jaina followers specially Svetāmbaras. It is strange to note that Buddhist pilgrim here regarded them as dishonest separatist from Buddhism. "By the side of the stupa” he writes “is the spot where the original teacher of the white robed heretics arrived at the knowledge of principles he sought and first preached the law......... In their ceremonies and modes of life, do greatly resemble the priest (of Buddha), only they have little twist of hair on their heads and they go naked. Moreover what clothes they chance to wear are white. Such are the slight differences which distinguish them from others. The figure of their sacred master they stealthily class with that of Tathāgata; it differs only in point of clothing, the points of beauty are absolutely the same.”
Huen-tsang here seems to be bewildered seeing the similarity between the images of Jinas and Buddhists. The statues of both religious are alike except the Jina images are naked. Probably he for the first time came into the contact of Jina images who looked like Buddhist images. As he was familiar only to Buddhist images, he could not make the difference.
So far the identification of the cities of Kapisha and Simhapura are concerned, it is a question of debate. In his famous book Ancient Geography of India. Gen. Cunningham has identified it with Opian in Afaghanistan, while according to some, it was situated "on the declivity of the Hindukush, not far from the little town of Ghorband or perhaps near Kushan, 10 miles west of Opian.” The situation of Simhapura is also doubtful: Gen. Cunningham has identified it with modern Ketas in the salt range of modern Pakistan. While some scholars prefer to place it at Simhupuri near Sāranātha, Varanasi.
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