Early

Journal Content on JSTOR, Free to Anyone in the World

This article is one of nearly 500,000 scholarly works digitized and made freely available to everyone in
the world by JSTOR.
Known as the Early Journal Content, this set of works include research articles, news, letters, and other
writings published in more than 200 of the oldest leading academic journals. The works date from the
mid-seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries.
We encourage people to read and share the Early Journal Content openly and to tell others that this
resource exists. People may post this content online or redistribute in any way for non-commercial
purposes.
Read more about Early Journal Content at http://about.jstor.org/participate-jstor/individuals/early-
journal-content.








JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary source objects. JSTOR helps people
discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content through a powerful research and teaching
platform, and preserves this content for future generations. JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit
organization that also includes Ithaka S+R and Portico. For more information about JSTOR, please
contact support@jstor.org.

( 520

at Temples

On Inscriptions

XXVIII

H.

T.

of the Jaina Sect in South Bihar.

Colebrooke,

Dir.

Esq.,

By

R.A.S.

18, 1826.

Read November

connected with the subject of an essay on the Srdwacs or Jainas,

read at a former meeting,
I lay before the Society copies of inscriptions
found by Dr. Buchanan Hamilton
in South Bihar. Though not ancient,
some
to be of
they may be considered
importance, as confirming the pre
valence of a Jaina tradition relative to the site of the spot where the last
of the Jinas terminated his earthly existence, and as identifying
the first
of his disciples with Gautama,
took place,
death and apotheosis
whose
As

to current
in the same neighbourhood.
belief,
according
In the Calpa-sutra
the first of Mahavj'ra's
of the Jainas,
and in other books
bhuti
: but,
name
in the
is
Indra
of
mentioned
under
the
disciples
under

scription,

same

is the

with

I subjoin Dr.
where

situation,
as was

vince

by

the

him

ten

other

first of one

other.

the

of

with

found,

the

concerning

satisfaction,

of

also,

Francklin's
Jina,

description
on the
erected

ceding
It is certainly
probable,
the Gautama
that
maine,
personag

were

inscriptions

the

the Gautama,

account

Hamilton's

of

Srdwacs

the
such

temples and their

other

or Jainas

information

in the

same

pro

(South Bihar).

I have
William

Buchanan

of

first

bhuti,

names

The

it is to be concluded,

Indra

these

collected

svvami.

of Gautama

agree : whence

precisely
list,

that

in

*: and

this

leads

as

of

to the Society,
communicating
of Parswanat'ha,
the temple

supposed
remarked

of

the Jainas

to

the

site of

Colonel
the

pre

likewise.

his

apotheosis
and Major
Dela
Hamilton
Dr.
by
is the same
of the Bauddhas
and

further

surmise,

that

both

these

sects

are

one of Mahavi'ra's
to the Jainas,
only
According
successors:
succession
of
that
eleven
left spiritual
is, the entire
disciples
swami.
Sudharma
Two
is derived
Jaina
from one
individual,
only
priests
bhuti
: the
and
out of eleven
Indra
viz.
Sudharma
survived
Mahavira,
branches

of

one

stock.

As.

Res.?

ix.

p.

313.

Mr.
first,

identified

Jaina

sect.

with

none.

tenets

Gautama

no

has

swam.,

followers

Gautama's

in many

at Temples

521

of the Jaina Sect.

successors

spiritual

in

the

proper inference seems to be, that the followers of this

are not of the sect of Jina, rather than that there have

The

surviving disciple
been

on Inscriptions

Colebrooke

respects

constitute
to

analogous

sect

the

those

of

of

with

Bauddha,
or

the Jainas,

of

followers

or fabulous history
but with a mythology
Sudharma,
Both have adopted the Hindu Pantheon,
quite different.
subordinate

deities

their

elevate

the authority

; both disclaim

to divine

saints

pre-eminent

of deified saints
or assemblage of
of the vedas; and both

supremacy.

In a short essay on their philosophical

opinions, wiiich will be likewise
to
submitted
the Society,
it will be shown that a considerable difference
of

doctrine
than

sects,

on

subsists
between

It deserves

various

the divers
that

remark,

; but

points
branches

the

of

Bauddhas

more

hardly
the single
and

the

between

sect
Jainas

two

the

of Bauddha.
in

agree

placing

within the limits of the same province, South Bihar, and its immediate
the locality of the death and apotheosis of the last Buddha, as of
vicinity,
the last Jina, and of his predecessor
and his eldest and favourite disciple.
Both religions have preserved for their sacred language the same dialect, the
or Prdcrit,

Pali

a shade

Between

of difference,*

and

or

the Mdgadhi

resembling

(South Bihar).

Magadha
but

closely

those dialects
are often

they

vernacular

there is t

and Prdcrit)

(Pali

confounded

under

of

tongue

name.

single

traditional chronology of the two sects assigns nearly the same

for, according to the Bauddhas,
period to their Gautama
respectively:
the apotheosis of Gautama buddha took place 543 years before the begin
the apotheosis
ning of the Christian era; and according to the Jainas,
The

of

Gautama

Mahavira,

about 600
half
a

preceptor
anachronism.

to remark,

era.

the Christian

too great
scarcely
of his
or
pupil;

that

the Buddha,

that Mahavira.

Casyapa.
I take

which

is
and

teacher,

for

the

was

The

viz.

earlier,

lapse of little more

interval

so much

not

somewhat

between

too great

the
as_to

than

death

of

amount

to

relying much upon a similarity of name, itmay yet not be foreign

Without
and

before

years

a century

swami's

Gautama
buddha,
preceded
was
of Gautama
swami,

to have

Pars'wanat'ha

was

wiio

the preceptor

confirmed
*

and
Burnouf

been

thoroughly
et Lassen,

the

founder

of

established

Essai

.SY 2

sur

le Pali.

the

of

sect

by Mahavira
p.

154.

was Cas'yapa
the

race

of

of Jainas,

and his

522

Mr.

at Temples

on Inscriptions

Colebrooke

of the Jaina Sect.

and his
disciple Sudharma ; by whom, and by his followers, both MahavIra
predecessor Pars' wan at'ha have been venerated as deified saints (Jinas),
and are so worshipped by the sect to this day.
A
elder

schism,

however,

disciple,

Indra

his followers

seems

to have
also

BHtrri,

after Mahavi'ra,

taken

place,
Gautama

named

was

swami,

whose
by

some

of

to the rank of a deified saint, under the synonymous

designation of Buddha;
(for Jina and Buddha bear the same meaning,
accord
according to both Buddhists and Jainas). The preceding Buddha,
was
to
not
this
branch
of
who
is
the
sect,
Cas'yapa,
ing
improbably the
same

with

raised

Sramana
a

SiddMrflia,

Vardliamdna

suryavansi
that

coincidence,
father
Una's

lineage,

among Buddhas

as above

noticed,

of

wife)

to

be

to this

weight

common

is

I suppose

whom

to Mahavira's
same

the

a patronymic

is unquestionably
come

have

the

with

is, in like manner,

(derived

other

designated

from

as descendant

it, whether

by
wiiatever

or for

cause.

His

pre

by a patronymic

viz.

Casyapa.
occurs
of Gautama

name

attaching much

Siddhart'ha

sinlia may
Sdcya
nearer
or remoter,

decessor
The

however

the

swami.

appellative Gautama
however

of

buddha,

Gautama

disciple,

Gotama),
of that

name

the

to Gautama

and

The

without

of

(born

race.

the Casyapa

of

prince

It is to be observed,

son

Mahavira,

as

also

an

appellative

in other

instances

or of the twenty-fourth Jinds

eldest
that of the sixth Buddha,
disciple. One of the legislators of the Hindus isGautama, whose aphorisms

besides
of

law are extant*

The
where

gentile name of the last Buddha has prevailed in China and Japan,
he is best known under the designation of Sdcya. His appellation
current

remains

of Gautama

in countries

INSCRIPTION

rftxpr ?o g^aft

s"o (q*t<v>
zj$

^
:5RTTT

f^FTTT3T^tt
* Preface

upon

bordering

India.

AT NAKHAUR.

\[%

rRxpr 5-0 ^itft

h\<**S*\ zj%

TT g?fpr TT 5ft
?=h<lfadl
W<fKct< ^
TF^T
- Tl Tl
i^mFT
^? T
y^jrf^^cTT
to

two

Treatises

on

the Hindu

Law

of

Inheritance,

p.

x.

Mr.

on Inscriptions

Colebrooke

at Temples of the Jaina Sect.

523

" In the
year 16S6 Samvat, on the 15th day of Vaisdc'ha sudi, the lotus
mother of T'ha
of Gautama
sw-Ami's feet was here placed by NihAlo,
Sangrama-Govardhana

(Thaccur),

son

dasa,

Tulasi

of T'ha.

son

dasa,

dasa, of the race of Chbpard and lineage of \Bharata

the fortunate Jina-rAja
Chacravarti! s\ prime councillor:
sum, the ve
nerable guide of the great Charatara tribe, being present."
of T'ha.

Vimala

same

The

restoring,

probably

is here

which
family,
the representation

pious

recorded

for

of Gautama

or more

erecting,

swAMi'sfeetat-N^AV/awr,

is in like manner
commemorated by three inscriptions, bearing date six
years later (viz. 1692 Samvat),* for the like pious office of erecting images
of

the

extinction

this

(as

is in those

of

with

the

his

eleven

towrn

at Pdxcapuri,

disciples,

to be the

stated

inscriptions

recur,

was)

family

of

or translation

(nirvana)
same names

The

and

of Mahavira

feet

or its vicinity,

wiiich,

site of that saint's

to bliss.
those

of many

of Bihar,

other
a

where

inhabitants

persons,
numerous

congregation

and with the same additions and

of Jainas seems to have then dwelt;
it appears, that the designation
designations more fully set forth: whence
"

of

descent

the

from
son

Bharata,

of

and Govardhana,

Sangrama
are

in those

dasa

and

Dr.

The
places

sect of Jain
of

or

universal

as an

joined
as names

supposed
sovereign,

of one
sons

brothers,

the

respects,

paramount

appellation

of two

to

reference

inscriptions

person,

of Tulasi

confirm

and

other.t

of the Jainas

of Temples

Description

bears

here

separated
In other

inscriptions
his wife Nihalo.

each

explain

councillor"
prime
minister
of the
prime
the first Jina Rishabha.

of

descendant

F.

Buchaxax

One

is a tank

of Nawddd

named

and Bhagalpur,

by

in South Bihar

two

M.R.A.S.

Hamiltox,

in the division

has

pilgrimage.

in South Bihar

Nakhaur,

about

a mile

and

from Nawddd,
and which
is of no great size, extending in its
It is choked with wreeds, especially
greatest
length from east to west.
The temple is on a small square island covered with a
the nelumbium.
covered
terrace of brick, and is a neat but inconsiderable building,
half north

*
f

The
Copies

largest

of those

of those

at

names

inscriptions

Pawapuri

were

not

likewise
taken

the

reigning

in fac-simile,

Emperor,
are

hut

Shah
merely

Jehax.
transcripts.

iptionalNa/c/uutr.

If f

cm*.
tftu]

t -CO
#