365bet娱乐

Of the several legends recorded by Somadeva, that of the famous Jaina Stupa of Mathura is of outstanding interest, and narrated in detail in Yasastilaka Book VI, sections 17, 18. It is wellknown that the ruins of the ancient Stupa were discovered in the course of excavations at the Kankali Tila standing in the angle between the Agra and Govardhan roads during the season 1889-90. Somadeva gives an entirely different version of the story of foundation of the Stupa from that recorded in Jinaprabhasuri's Tirthakalpa, a work of the fourteenth century, and made known by Buhler many years ago. Somadeva is nearly four hundred years earlier than Jinaprabha, and probably records the earliest known version of the legend of the Stupa, which was regarded as of divine origin as early as the second century A. D. An inscription of the year 79, engraved on the left hand portion of the base of a large standing figure of a Jina found in the Kankali mound in the season 1890-91, records the fact that an image of the Tirthamkara Aranatha was set up at the Stupa, "built by the gods" (thupe devanirmite). "The sculpture belongs to the Kushan period, and the mode in which the date is expressed shows that the year 79 must be referred to the era used by the great Kushan kings. This year 79 falls within the reign of Vasudeva, one of whose inscriptions is expressly dated in the year 80." The important thing to note is that when the inscript ion in question was executed, "not later than A. D. 157 (79+78)", the Jaina Stupa of Mathura was already so old that it was regarded as the work of the gods. "It was probably, therefore, erected several centuries before the Christian era, and may have been at least as ancient as the oldest Buddhist Stupa." According to Jinaprabha, the Stupa was built by the goddess Kubera for two Jaina saints named Dharmaruci and Dharmaghosa, and among the idols installed in its precincts the chief was that of Suparsvanatha. The Stupa was originally of gold, but later encased in brick as a safeguard against pillage. In the eighth century it was repaired by Bappabhatti Suri, and at his request provided with a stone dome by King Ama. According to Somadeva, on the other hand, the Stupa was founded by the saint Vajrakumara, 1 See Chapter XVI. 2 See Vincent Smith: The Jaina Stupa and other Antiquities of Mathura, Allahabad, 1901. 3 Smith (op. cit.), pp. 12, 13. 4 Introduction to Pandit's edition of Gaudavaho, p, cliii

Worship of the Stupa by Kinnaras and Suparnas, see p. 433. Procession on its way to the Stupa, see p. 433.

Exploring the Siva Linga, see p. 433. (Rajaputana Musuem, Ajmer )

son of Somadatta, during the reign of Putikavahana, and there is no reference to its ever being made of gold. The Jaina Stupa of Mathura seems to have existed in Somadeva's time, as is apparent from his statement that "the shrine is still known by the name of Devanirmita, "Built by the Gods". It may also be noted in this connection that the colossal image of Parsvanatha, seated in meditation, found in the Kankali mound at Mathura in 1889, and bearing an inscription dated Samvat 1036 or 980 A. D.,³ was possibly built and installed within Somadeva's lifetime. The discovery of another colossal image of a Jina, also seated in meditation, at the same site, and bearing an inscription dated Samvat 1134 or 1078 A. D., gives evidence of the continuity of Jaina religious life at Mathura sixty years after the sack of the city by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1018 A. D. As Dr. Fuhrer says, "these ancient temples were used by the Jainas during the greater part of the eleventh century, and their destruction happened in late times". As regards the great Stupa, its site is at present a bare flat mound without any semblance of an ancient edifice on its surface. But a sculpture on a Torana lintel from the Kankali Tila, now preserved in the Lucknow Museum (J 535), shows the Stupa as being worshipped by Kinnaras and Suparnas (half birds and half men), and gives us an idea of the general appearance of the monument as it originally stood. The reverse side of the lintel represents a procession probably on its way to the Stupa (see illustrations). Vincent Smith describes the piece of masonry as the central portion of the lowest beam of a Torana archway in the railing round a Stupa, and says that it may have belonged to the ancient Stupa, and is certainly an early work, probably to be dated about 100 or 50 B. c.5 very The existence of Jaina temples at Mathura, called Uttaramathura to distinguish it from Daksinamathura or Madura in the Pandya country, is attested by another reference in Yasastilaka VI. 10. Two temples were, in fact, discovered under the Kankali Tila. In the Museum Report for 1890-91 Dr. Fuhrer writes that an inscription, incised on an oblong slab, gives the name 1. 'ata evadyapi tattirtham devanirmitakhyaya prathate | ' Vol. II, p. 315. The date is variously read as 2 Now in the Provincial Museum, Lucknow, J 143. 1038 and 1036. Smith (op. cit.), p. 4 and Agrawala: Guide-Book to the Archaeological Section of the Provincial Museum, p. 13. In the text of the inscription sent to me by Dr. Agrawala the date is given as 1036. 3 J 145, Provincial Museum, Lucknow. 4 Smith (op. cit.), p. 4. 5 Smith (op. cit.), p. 22. 6 'uttaramathurayam jinendramandiravandaruhrdaya dohadavarti varte'ham | ' 55

of the founder of one of the temples; and as its characters do not differ much from those used in the earliest dated inscriptions of the Indo-Scythic period, he infers that one of the edifices was built before 150 B. c.1 The legend of the Jaina Stupa of Mathura, as recorded by Somadeva, is also important as throwing light on the rivalry between the Jaina and Buddhist communities at the epoch of the foundation of the Stupa. It is obvious from the legend that the Buddhist wife of Putikavahana sought to abolish the Jaina Eight-day festival at Mathura and replace it by a celebration in honour of the Buddha. Her attempt was foiled by Vajrakumara, and the foundation of the Stupa bears testimony to the unhindered celebration of the great Jaina festival at Mathura. Legends relating to certain pious Jainas of Mathura occur in Yasastilaka. That of Revati, wife of king Varuna, famous for her unflinching devotion to the Jaina faith, is given in detail in VI. 11. In Book IV Somadeva refers to the story of Arhaddasa, who, though a householder, showed the resolution of an ascetic, when he continued his meditation unperturbed even at the sight of the sufferings caused to his family by some hostile deities." Aurvila, the pious Jaina wife of king Putikavahana of Mathura, who had to contend against the machinations of her young Buddhist co-wife, figures prominently in the legend of the great Stupa.