Vaishali Abhinandan Granth

Author(s): Yogendra Mishra
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology and Ahimsa

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(viii) Jainism, was virtually a product of the Vaisali confederacy. He was born at Kundagama, near Vaisali, in 599 B. C. He was the son of Siddhartha, a chief of the clan of the Joatrikas, the associates of the Lichchhavis of Vaisali, and his mother, T'risala,, was the sister of the Lichchhavi chief, Chetaka. For thirty years Mahavira taught in the Gangetic areas. It will be seen that Vaigali is the region from where the concepts of truth, non-violence (Ahimsa), peace, right conduct, honesty and frugality radiated to all directions about six hundred years before the birth of Christ.' * It may be an interesting point of study whether the institutional approach to proselytizing efforts of the Buddhists and Jainas, especially of the former, was due to Vaisali's democratic and republican form of government and administration. The issues of the day, whether doctrinal or organisational, were sought to be resolved by Councils. Here, at Vaisali, the second Buddhist General Council was held one hundred years after the death of the Buddha. Scbism raised its head over small points of monastic discipline, and the Order broke into two sections, "Believers in the Teaching of the Elders" and "Members of the Great Community". The great Maurya emperor, Asoka, visited the place and got the stupa already built there over the remains of Lord Buddha enlarged. Fortunately, the urn containing the relics was recovered (1958) from the archaeological excavations carried out by Dr. A. S. Altekar and Dr. Sita Ram Roy, scholars of the K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute, Patna. Vaisali was truly a place of religious and cultural synthesis. It also attracted a number of Sufi saints during the medieval period; and one of them, Shaikh Muhammad Qazin Faizullah Shuttari, lived and worked here. The 'Urs' at the Dargah, and the Ramanavami fair which commemorates the birthday of Lord Rama, are even now celebrated the same day with great enthusiasm. Vaisali remained in comparative obscurity for a long time. In March 1945, as a result of the initiative and dedicated efforts of some scholars and government officials, the Vaisali Sangha was set up with the object, mainly of restoring the glory of the place by getting Scientific, historical researches and excavations conducted, bringing out publications on various aspects of the history of the place, and organising a museum to preserve and display the antiquities of the place and the region. Ia 1963 the Vaisali Sangba was constituted as a Trust. Since its very inception this institution has been organising a big celebration every year