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Sumati-Jñāna period which can be traced out in future.
The Jain literary tradition however, mentions (Vasudevahindī, Āvaśyakachūrni, Avaśyakavşitti, Trisastiśalakapurusacharita etc.) that Jivantaswami image of Mahāvīra was worshipped at Vidisha and Ujjayini. This image was brought to Vidisha by king Prodyota from Roruka (Sindhu-Sauveira) which was made by Vidyunmālī. Kșemakīrti (1275 AD) commenting on Brihatkalpabhāşya mentions that one Arya Suhasti visited Ujjain to worship the image of Jivantaswami in Maurya period.' Early association of Ujjain with Jainism is also attested by “Kālakāchārya kathānaka”. According to Mahābhāşya (of Patanjali), the worship of yaksa-yaksī, Nāgas etc, was popular in the society during Sunga-Satvahana period. In this connection, a place namely Padmavati (modern Pawaya) near Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) recalls the famous Jaina yaksa of Tīrthankara Pārsvanātha. This place was occupied by the Kushanas and the Nāgas in ancient time and the worship of yakshas and Nāgas was popular also at this centre.Perhaps, the place name Padmavati was derived after Jain Yakshi. Thus, the literary evidences, however, support the possibility of the growth of Jainism in Madhya Pradesh right from the Mauryan period.
We have a large number of early art and architectural evidences related with Buddhism in Madhya Pradesh but no early archaeological evidences related to Jainism are noticed so far, which indicate that Jainism did not develop much in Madhya Pradesh until the advent of the Guptas, Aulikaras, Ayudhas and the early Pratiharas. Jainism grew at Mathura in full length during Saka-Kushana period, but it is indeed surprising that this religious sect did not spread in Madhya Pradesh inspite of being a neighbour region. Jain art of Mathura has evidently influenced the art of Padmavati, Vidisha, Sanchi and Bharahut, due to the reason that these places were in close contact with Mathura in the Kushana period. Some sculptures noticed from Pawaya and Vidisha (2nd-3rd century AD) have clear estamp of the Mathura school of art. This impact is also clearly visible on the three Gupta Tirthankara images found from Durjanpur, dist. Vidisha.
Thus, it is from the time of Gupta king Ramgupta that Jainism became popular, particularly in Eastern Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. Although, no muchit epigraphical evidences are found in Gupta inscriptions to the Tīrthañkaras, Āchāryas etc. except image inscriptions from Durjanpura, but it is clear that the images of the Tirthañkaras took shape in Madhya Pradesh during this span of time only. The Gupta sculptures of three Tīrthankaras from Durjanapura are of unusual historical importance. The inscriptions of their pedestals mention that two images are of Tīrthañkara Chandraprabha (Pl. 32.1 & 32.2) and the third one is of Pushpadanta (Pl. 32.3). According to these epigraphs these images were caused to be made by the Gupta king Ramgupta, who bore the title of Mahārājādhirāja, on the advise of Chelu Kshamana, the grandson of Golakyāntyā and disciple of Achārya Sarpasena Kshamana, the grand pupil of Chandrakshamāchārya-kshamana-Sramana. Chandrakshamāchārya is mentioned as a Panipātrika (one who used the hollows of his palm alms and drinking bowl). On the basis of this art evidence and the inscriptions, we have surmise that the establishment of Jain institution was started during the reign of Ramgupta,
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