Mahavira and Related Topics

The hand symbolizes Ahiṃsā, the wheel dharmachakra, the resolve to halt saṃsāra (transmigration).

Jainism

26 links

Ancient Indian religion.

Classification of Saṃsāri Jīvas (transmigrating souls) in Jainism

Lord Neminatha, Akota Bronzes (7th century)

Jain miniature painting of 24 tirthankaras, Jaipur, c. 1850

Jain temple painting explaining Anekantavada with Blind men and an elephant

A Jain monk in meditation, wearing the characteristic white robe and face covering

Nishidhi stone, depicting the vow of sallekhana, 14th century, Karnataka

Praying at the feet of a statue of Bahubali

Jain worship may include ritual offerings and recitals.

Celebrating Das Lakshana (Paryushana), Jain Center of America, New York City

The birth of Mahavira, from the Kalpa Sūtra (c.1375–1400 CE)

A symbol to represent the Jain community was chosen in 1975 as part of the commemoration of the 2,500th anniversary of Mahavira’s nirvana.

Rishabhdev, believed to have lived over 592.704×1018 years ago, is considered the traditional founder of Jainism.

The ruins of Gori Jain temples in Nagarparkar, Pakistan, a pilgrimage site before 1947.

Saavira Kambada Basadi, Moodbidri, Karnataka

Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four Tirthankaras (supreme preachers of Dharma), with the first in the current time cycle being Rishabhadeva, whom the tradition holds to have lived millions of years ago; the twenty-third tirthankara Parshvanatha, whom historians date to 9th century BCE; and the twenty-fourth tirthankara, Mahavira around 600 BCE.

Gautama Buddha

13 links

Ascetic and spiritual teacher of South Asia who lived during the latter half of the first millennium BCE.

Seated Buddha from Tapa Shotor monastery in Hadda, Afghanistan, 2nd century CE

Ancient kingdoms and cities of India during the time of the Buddha (c. 500 BCE)

Inscription "The illumination of the Blessed Sakamuni" (Brahmi script: 𑀪𑀕𑀯𑀢𑁄 𑀲𑀓𑀫𑀼𑀦𑀺𑀦𑁄 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑁄, Bhagavato Sakamunino Bodho) on a relief showing the "empty" Illumination Throne of the Buddha in the early Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya. Bharhut, c. 100 BCE.

One of the earliest anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha, here surrounded by Brahma (left) and Śakra (right). Bimaran Casket, mid-1st century CE, British Museum.

Māyā miraculously giving birth to Siddhārtha. Sanskrit, palm-leaf manuscript. Nālandā, Bihar, India. Pāla period

The legendary Jataka collections depict the Buddha-to-be in a previous life prostrating before the past Buddha Dipankara, making a resolve to be a Buddha, and receiving a prediction of future Buddhahood.

Map showing Lumbini and other major Buddhist sites in India. Lumbini (present-day Nepal), is the birthplace of the Buddha, and is a holy place also for many non-Buddhists.

The Lumbini pillar contains an inscription stating that this is the Buddha's birthplace

The "Great Departure" of Siddhartha Gautama, surrounded by a halo, he is accompanied by numerous guards and devata who have come to pay homage; Gandhara, Kushan period

Prince Siddhartha shaves his hair and becomes a sramana. Borobudur, 8th century

The gilded "Emaciated Buddha statue" in Wat Suthat in Bangkok representing the stage of his asceticism

The Mahabodhi Tree at the Sri Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya

The Enlightenment Throne of the Buddha at Bodh Gaya, as recreated by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE.

Miracle of the Buddha walking on the River Nairañjanā. The Buddha is not visible (aniconism), only represented by a path on the water, and his empty throne bottom right. Sanchi.

Dhamek Stupa in Sarnath, India, site of the first teaching of the Buddha in which he taught the Four Noble Truths to his first five disciples

The chief disciples of the Buddha, Mogallana (chief in psychic power) and Sariputta (chief in wisdom).

The remains of a section of Jetavana Monastery, just outside of ancient Savatthi, in Uttar Pradesh.

Mahāprajāpatī, the first bhikkuni and Buddha's stepmother, ordains

This East Javanese relief depicts the Buddha in his final days, and Ānanda, his chief attendant.

Mahaparinirvana, Gandhara, 3rd or 4th century CE, gray schist

Mahaparinibbana scene, from the Ajanta caves

Buddha's cremation stupa, Kushinagar (Kushinara).

Piprahwa vase with relics of the Buddha. The inscription reads: ...salilanidhane Budhasa Bhagavate... (Brahmi script: ...𑀲𑀮𑀺𑀮𑀦𑀺𑀥𑀸𑀦𑁂 𑀩𑀼𑀥𑀲 𑀪𑀕𑀯𑀢𑁂...) "Relics of the Buddha Lord".

The Bodhisattva meets with Alara Kalama, Borobudur relief.

Gandharan Buddhist birchbark scroll fragments

Buddha meets a Brahmin, at the Indian Museum, Kolkata

Schist Buddha statue with the famed Ye Dharma Hetu dhāraṇī around the head, which was used as a common summary of Dependent Origination. It states: "Of those experiences that arise from a cause, The Tathāgata has said: 'this is their cause, And this is their cessation': This is what the Great Śramaṇa teaches."

Gandharan sculpture depicting the Buddha in the full lotus seated meditation posture, 2nd-3rd century CE

Buddha Statues from Gal Vihara. The Early Buddhist texts also mention meditation practice while standing and lying down.

The Buddha on a coin of Kushan ruler Kanishka I, c. 130 CE.

Buddhist monks from Nepal. According to the earliest sources, the Buddha looked like a typical shaved man from northeast India.

A Royal Couple Visits the Buddha, from railing of the Bharhut Stupa, Shunga dynasty, early 2nd century BC.

Adoration of the Diamond Throne and the Bodhi Tree, Bharhut.

Descent of the Buddha from the Trayastrimsa Heaven, Sanchi Stupa No. 1.

The Buddha's Miracle at Kapilavastu, Sanchi Stupa 1.

Bimbisara visiting the Buddha (represented as empty throne) at the Bamboo garden in Rajagriha

The great departure with riderless horse, Amaravati, 2nd century CE.

The Assault of Mara, Amaravati, 2nd century CE.

Isapur Buddha, one of the earliest physical depictions of the Buddha, c. 15 CE.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Quintanilla |first1=Sonya Rhie |title=History of Early Stone Sculpture at Mathura: Ca. 150 BCE – 100 CE |date=2007 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=9789004155374 |pages=199–206, 204 for the exact date |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X7Cb8IkZVSMC&pg=PA204}}</ref> Art of Mathura

The Buddha attended by Indra at Indrasala Cave, Mathura 50-100 CE.

Buddha Preaching in Tushita Heaven. Amaravati, Satavahana period, 2d century CE. Indian Museum, Calcutta.

Gandharan Buddha with Vajrapani-Herakles.

Birth of the Buddha, Kushan dynasty, late 2nd to early 3rd century CE.

The Infant Buddha Taking A Bath, Gandhara 2nd century CE.

Sarnath standing Buddha, 5th century CE.

Chinese Stele with Sakyamuni and Bodhisattvas, Wei period, 536 CE.

The Shakyamuni Daibutsu Bronze, c. 609, Nara, Japan.

Amaravati style Buddha of Srivijaya period, Palembang, Indonesia, 7th century.

Korean Seokguram Cave Buddha, c. 774 CE.

Seated Buddha Vairocana flanked by Avalokiteshvara and Vajrapani of Mendut temple, Central Java, Indonesia, early 9th century.

Buddha in the exposed stupa of Borobudur mandala, Central Java, Indonesia, c. 825.

Vairocana Buddha of Srivijaya style, Southern Thailand, 9th century.

Seated Buddha, Japan, Heian period, 9th－10th century.

Cambodian Buddha with Mucalinda Nāga, c. 1100 CE, Banteay Chhmar, Cambodia

Sakyamuni, Lao Tzu, and Confucius, c. from 1368 until 1644.

Shakyamuni Buddha with Avadana Legend Scenes, Tibetan, 19th century

Gautama statue, Shanyuan Temple, Liaoning Province, China.

Burmese style Buddha, Shwedagon pagoda, Yangon.

Large Gautama Buddha statue in Buddha Park of Ravangla.

558, or c. 400 BCE), the ruler of the Magadha empire, and died during the early years of the reign of Ajatashatru, who was the successor of Bimbisara, thus making him a younger contemporary of Mahavira, the Jain tirthankara.

Parshvanatha

8 links

The 23rd of 24 Tirthankaras of Jainism.

Parshvanatha was born in Varanasi, a historic city on the Ganges.

Parshvanatha and his yaksha, Dharanendra, in the 8th-century Tamil Nadu Kalugumalai Jain Beds

8th-century stone relief of Parshvanatha at Thirakoil

Parshvanatha with Padmavati and Dharnendra in a 16th-century manuscript

Parshvanatha iconography is identified by a sesha hood above his head and a cobra stamped (or carved) beneath his feet. At the center of his chest is a shrivatsa, which identifies Jain statues.

Parsvanatha ayagapata - Jina Parsvanatha, Mathura art, {{circa|15 CE}}.{{sfn|Quintanilla|2007|p=201}}{{sfn|Quintanilla|2007|p=406}}

alt=Stone relief|Uttar Pradesh, 2nd century (Museum of Oriental Art)

Parshvanath relief of Kahaum pillar, 5th century

alt=Lotus position|5th century (Satna, Madhya Pradesh)

alt=Lotus position|6th century, Uttar Pradesh

alt=Lotus position|7th-century Akota Bronze (Honolulu Museum of Art)

6th-7th century bronze statue in Asian Civilisations Museum

alt=Lotus position|10th-century copper, inlaid with silver and gemstones (LACMA)

alt=Lotus position|11th century, Maharaja Chhatrasal Museum

alt=Lotus position|Karnataka, 12th century (Art Institute of Chicago)

{{convert|61|ft}} colossal at Navagraha Jain Temple

alt=Outdoor standing statue|Vahelna statue

alt=Standing statue in niche|Parshvanatha basadi, Shravanabelgola

alt=Standing statue|Parshvanatha temple in Halebidu

Parshvanatha temple, Khajuraho, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Pattadakal Jain Temple, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Parshavanth temple, Jaisalmer Fort, UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of Hill Forts of Rajasthan

Parshvanatha basadi at Halebidu: tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage Site

alt=Godiji Parshwanath (Gori) Temple at Tharparkar - tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage|Godiji (Gori) Temple in Tharparkar - tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage

The Jain sources place him between the 9th and 8th centuries BC whereas historians consider that he lived in the 8th or 7th century BC. Parshvanatha was born 273 years before Mahavira.

Indian Cultural Influence (Greater India)

History of India

6 links

According to consensus in modern genetics, anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago.

Dholavira, a city of Indus Valley Civilisation, with stepwell steps to reach the water level in artificially constructed reservoirs.

Archaeological remains of washroom drainage system at Lothal.

Sinauli "chariot", photograph of the Archaeological Survey of India.

An early 19th century manuscript in the Devanagari script of the Rigveda, originally transmitted orally with fidelity

Late Vedic era map showing the boundaries of Āryāvarta with Janapadas in northern India, beginning of Iron Age kingdoms in India – Kuru, Panchala, Kosala, Videha.

City of Kushinagar in the 5th century BCE according to a 1st-century BCE frieze in Sanchi Stupa 1 Southern Gate.

Manuscript illustration of the Battle of Kurukshetra.

The Mahajanapadas were the sixteen most powerful and vast kingdoms and republics of the era, located mainly across the Indo-Gangetic plains.

The Mauryan carved door of Lomas Rishi, one of the Barabar Caves, c. 250 BCE.

Silk Road and Spice trade, ancient trade routes that linked India with the Old World; carried goods and ideas between the ancient civilisations of the Old World and India. The land routes are red, and the water routes are blue.

Copper Plate Seal of Kamarupa Kings at Madan Kamdev ruins.

Kadamba shikara (tower) with Kalasa (pinnacle) on top, Doddagaddavalli.

Excavated ruins of Nalanda, a centre of Buddhist learning from 450 to 1193 CE.

Chola Empire under Rajendra Chola, c. 1030 CE.

The Delhi Sultanate reached its zenith under the Turko-Indian Tughlaq dynasty.

The Dasam Granth (above) was composed by Sikh Guru Gobind Singh.

18th century political formation in India.

The route followed in Vasco da Gama's first voyage (1497–1499).

Literacy in India grew very slowly until independence in 1947. An acceleration in the rate of literacy growth occurred in the 1991–2001 period.

Mature Harappan Period, c. 2600 - 1900 BCE

Mohenjo-daro, one of the largest Indus cities. View of the site's Great Bath, showing the surrounding urban layout.

Three stamp seals and their impressions bearing Indus script characters alongside animals: "unicorn" (left), bull (center), and elephant (right); Guimet Museum

Around the same time, Mahavira (the 24th Tirthankara in Jainism) propagated a theology that was to later become Jainism.

Idol of Lord Rishabhdeva at Palitana Tirth, Gujarat

Rishabhanatha

7 links

First Tīrthaṅkara (Supreme preacher) of Jainism and establisher of Ikshvaku dynasty.

Rishabha with mother Marudevi at Palitana

Janma kalyāṇaka from the Kalpa Sutra, c. 14th–15th Century CE

Ruins of ancient Jain settlement from 2nd century BCE in Kankali Tila, Mathura depicting the scene of Nilanjana's Dance from life of Lord Rishabhdeva.

Statuary representing meditation by Rishabhanatha in Kayotsarga posture. (Photo:Ajmer Jain temple)

Rishabhanatha's moving over lotus after attaining omniscience

Mount Kailash or Ashtapad, the Nirvana place of Rishabhdeva.

Svetambara iconography of Rishabhanatha, in which he is identified by the bull stamped or carved below his feet. On the center of his chest is a shrivatsa.

Carving at Ambika Gumpha, Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, 2nd century BCE

The famous 15 ft "Bade Baba" idol at Bade Baba temple, Kundalpur

Statue of Ahimsa, Maharashtra, {{convert|108|feet}}

Bawangaja, Madhya Pradesh, {{convert|84|feet}}

The {{convert|58.4|feet}} colossal at Gopachal Hill

The {{convert|45|feet}} tall rock cut idol at Chanderi

{{convert|31|feet}} statue made up of Ashtadhatu, Trilok Teerth Dham

The {{convert|25|feet}} idol at Dadabari, Kota

Ranakpur Jain temple, Ranakpur, Rajasthan

Adinatha temple, Khajuraho, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Along with Mahavira, Parshvanath, Neminath, and Shantinath; Rishabhanath is one of the five Tirthankaras that attract the most devotional worship among the Jains.

Stela depicting Śhrut Jnāna, "the knowledge which is heard" (directly from the omniscient fordmakers)

Jain literature

6 links

Jain literature refers to the literature of the Jain religion.

Statues depicting Bhadrabahu (the last leader of a unified Jain community) and the mauryan emperor Chandragupta (who became a Jain monk late in life).

[Top illustration] Mahavira attains kevala jñāna (complete knowledge); [Bottom] a samosarana (divine preaching hall). Folio 60 from Kalpasutra series, loose leaf manuscript, Patan, Gujarat. c. 1472.

The Suryaprajnaptisūtra, a 4th or 3rd century BCE Śvētāmbara astronomical and mathematical text. The top illustration depicts Mahavira, while the bottom one illustrates his great disciple Gautama.

Āchārya Pushpadanta, depicted writing down the Ṣaṭkhaṅḍāgama

Āchārya Kundakunda, one of the most important Digambara philosophers

The Tattvārthsūtra is regarded as the most authoritative book on Jainism, and the only text authoritative in both the Svetambara and Digambara sects

Bust of Hemachandra at Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University

Mangulam inscription dated 2nd century BCE

Initially, the canonical scriptures were transmitted through an oral tradition and consisted of teachings of historical Jain leaders like Mahavira codified into various collections.

Kevala jnana

6 links

Roughly translated as complete understanding or supreme wisdom.

According to both traditions, the last kevalin was a disciple of one of the eleven chief disciples of the last tirthankara, Mahāvīra; his name is recorded as Jambuswami.

Trishala

3 links

Detail of a leaf with, The Birth of Mahavira (the 24th Jain Tirthankara), from the Kalpa Sutra, c. 1375–1400.

Aspicious dreams seen by the Tirthankara mother.

Trishala, also known as Videhadatta, Priyakarini, or Trishala Mata (Mother Trishala), was the mother of Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism, and wife of the Jain monarch, Siddhartha of Kundagrama, of present-day Bihar.