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136 : Śramaņa, Vol 62, No. 1 January-March 2011
The paper analyses this practice from Mahāvīra's time todate, through various Jaina texts but primarily story literature, the places most popular (Śravanabelgola, caves and how they were made worthy of performing austerities) for such practice and the current state of this practice amongst Jaina ascetics. The strong presence of the wilderness-narrative literature, if only in the background, suggest the continued importance of the role of wilderness as a support and reminder of the Jaina ideal of complete and unequivocal renunciation with its inevitable consequences of the life devoid of all worldly residue and filled with utter tapas in the wilderness. What is more, the vanavāsa state of mind is not only thriving in a latent and unrealized form but is actively being brought back to life by capable individuals.
