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A Torso of Parsvanatha in the Bhagalpur
Museum (Bihar)
AJUY KUMAK SINILA
Bhagvan Parsvanatha' is one of the most revered Tirthankaras of Jainism. According to Prof. Rlys Davids,' he was the lone founder of the Jaina Faith. He is the 23rd Tirtlankara and his emblem is snake. He was born in the royal palace at Varanasi in about 817 B.C. He was married with the daughter of king Prasenajita of Kosala but like prince Siddhartha he left his home to follow the life of an ascetic at the age of 30 and preached his doctrine of love and universal fraternity, for about 70 long years through out the country. He was closely associated with the province of Bihar and he died in about 717 B.C. at Mount Parsvanatha' (Sammeta Sikhara) in the district of Hazaribagh, Bihar.
The torso. of Bhugvan Parsvanatha under discussion was acquired by the author of this paper from Katwali Police Station, Monghyr in the year 1977. It was uncarthed inside the old Monglyr Fort during the course of construction of the building for Gun Factory. The town of Monghyr,' no doubt, has a glorious past. - It is learnt from the Padmacarita of the Acarya Ravisena (circa 7th century A.D.) that the Jaina religion was in flourishing condition during that period in the vicinity of Monghyr. Temple of the Tirthankurus were being built and the Icachers were ulways loving in these stered places propagating their religion. Acaryu Jinasena' and Acarya Haribhadra (circu 8th century A.D.) also described the Anga region as a centre of Jainism. The colossal
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Bhattacharya, B. C: The Jaina Iconography (Delhi 1974), pp. 58-59. Davids, Rhys : Ency. Brill., Vol. xii (9th Edition), p. 543. Ra i ndrar. T. N:.....
...........11. 1941., . I.
Pp. 3u-52. Sinha, B. P. (ed.): The Comprehensive History of Bihur, Vol. I, II, II. (lat). p. 457. Ibid., p. 458.
