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11 Egypt: The cultural relation between Egypt and ludia were also remarkable, Sir Flinders Petrie of tbe British School of Egyptian Archaeology discovered at Memphis ( the ancient capital of Egypt ) some statues of Indian types. Such discoveries prove the existence of an Indian colony in ancient Egypt about 500 B. C One of tbe statues represents an Indian Yogi, sitting cross legged in deep meditation Ideas of asceticism wbicu appeared in Egypt about tbis time must have been due to contact with the Indian3?." It is possible that tbis statue might be resembling to that of a Jain. Any bow it is said about the Jaina antiquities at Mathura tbat "obe dress and ornaments of the figures were strik. ingly Egyptiap in style...... Many of the symbols by which each Jaida Saint is identified were Egyptian,"2
The religious dogmas of the Egyptians were also mostly like th one of the Jaines. They had no belief in a creator of universe, and furtber like tbe Jainas, they pro. fessed and preached & plurality of Gode; whom they describe as infinitely perfeot and happy. They also accepred the existence of an immortal soul and extended it even to the lower animal world. They were apt to observe the rules of abstinence, and never took fish, and vegetables like radish, garlic etc. in their diets. The feeling of Ahinsa was 80 manifest in them that they did not even wear shoes other than those made from the plant papyrus. They made pude images of their God Horus, wbich bear great resemblance to those of the Jaina Tir. thapkaras? Therefore it is conceivable that Jainism surely once had its way in Egypt and Ethiopia.
1, Modern Review, March 1948, P. 229 2. The "Oriental" (Oct. 1802), P: 23-24 3. Mysteries of Freemasnory, P. 271 4. The Story of Man, P. 187 5. The Story of Man, P. 191 6 Addenda to the Confluence of Opposites, P. 2 7. The Story of Man, P. 187-191
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Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
