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102
THE ORIENT
The Digambara traditions mention of the migration of Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta Maurya to the South while the Svetambra traditions refer to migration taking place from Ujjayini in Malwa. Yet another tradition of the Mulasangha suggests the route to have been along the western coast via. Gujarat and Maharashtra to Karnataka.
On the west coast, however, as traditions indicate, Jainism had already penetrated in times unknown. For that matter, the twentyfirst Tirthankara Neminatha is considered to have renounced the world at Girnar in Kathiawad. In about the fourth century B.C. it is held that Bhadrabahu's journey to the South left some traces of migration even in Gujarat. There is a reference to 'Kevalins' in an inscription of Jayadaman's grandson, which reads: "Here in Girinagara ..... the Gods, asuras, nagas, yakshas, and rakshasas .....city(?)..... who had arrived at the knowledge of the Kevalins ..... old age and death ......" If viewed in the Jaina context it may be considered as the first historical evidence of Jainism in this part of the country. Valabhi from where a group of bronzes assignable to c. 6th 7th Century was recovered also happens to be a place of particular importance at least in the Svetambara tradition. It was here that the redaction of the Svetambara canons--the pustakarohana-took place. Nevertheless, inspite of the many grants recovered from Valabhi not one mentions of any donations to any Jaina Sangha, the apparent reason being that the Jainas then very staunchly believed in the observance of the mahavrata of aparigraha or non-possession.
Jainism remained relatively less predominent till the medieval period when the entire Western India from Rajasthan to Karnataka became important field for Jainism to grow. The profuse sculptural activity in the caves or the temples, belonging to Digambara and Svetambara, provides enough material for the study of the development of Jaina iconography.
The major contribution of Gujarat to the Jaina art was during the medieval period when under the patronage of the Paramaras of Malwa and the Chalukyas of Gujarat the region witnessed profound building activity. The Delwada temples of Mount Abu built in V.S. 1088 by Vimala Saha is a landmark of this period. This helps us in understanding the stylistic developments of this period. The religious fervour of Jainism in the late medieval period rose to such heights that it influenced
entire region of Gujarat, Saurashtra and Rajasthan. It contributed enormously not only to the field of sculpture but also to paintings, bronze and wood work.
Unlike Karnataka, where at least the legend of Bhadrabahu's migration along awith Chandragupta Maurya to Sravana Belgola associates the region with Jainism, in the Deccan we have evidence of flourishing Jainism starting with the Chalukya's of Badami (c. 500-950 A.D.) and continuing
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