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HISTORICITY OF TIRTHANKARA PARSVANATHA AND ...
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forth with great force, and filled the whole cave. The king became repentent fearing the destruction of the cave temple. However, the guardian Vidhyadhara of the cave appeared and consoled the
king. :
Historians opine that when Karakanda was encamping at Terapura, he learnt the existence of a large cave containing a Jina image at the foot of a hill in deep forest, and he visited the cave and worshipped the Jina, and also renewed the temple, installed in it another image of Parsvanath, which he discovered on the top of the mountain burried in an anthill and built two more caves on the upperside of the existing cave. This piece of information serves as an evidence to say that during the days of Karakanda, who is considered as a historical person and who lived somewher about 7th century B.C. or about hundred years earlier to Bhagvan Mahavira, worshippied Bhagvan Parsvanatha's image.
It may be noted that both in Jaina and Buddhist traditions Karakanda is considered as one of the four Svayambuddhas.
Here it may also be noted that according to Jaina tradition the parents of Bhagavan Mahavira, namely, Siddhartha and Trisala were orɖaint followers and worshippers of Bhagvan Parsvanatha, and this is suggested by the episode of the samvada found in Uttaradhyayana Sutra between Gautama Ganadhara and Kesi Kumara Sramana, the latter being the follower of Parsvanatha
order..
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According to some of the historians and also according to a piece of traditional information, Gautama Buddha himself in his early years of monkhood was a follower of Parsvanatha order. Gautama the Buddha is said to have practised the ascetic practices of the Sramana tradition like pulling the hair (Kesalocana) and fasting. He begged for food in the tradition of the Jaina practices of asceticism prevailing at the time of Parsva. The practices that
