History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v1.c13.40

v1.c13.40

At the end of the 13th year, a Jaina Council was convened when monks from all quarters were assembled near the Relic Depository on the top of the hill. Two buildings are mentioned in 11.16-17 as having been erected, the first one of which was a shelter for a queen named Sindhūlā of a place called Siṃhapatha. The second one was a temple built with four columns inlaid with beryl at the cost of seventy-five hundred thousands. Finally, Khāravela caused to be compiled the text of the sevenfold Aṅgas of the sixty-four mystic letters which are mentioned in some of the Jaina literary books. According to Jaina tradition the Aṅgas were lost and subsequently recovered. The Pūrvas or older parts were known perfectly only to Bhadrabāhu, and when he retired to Nepal, he taught them to Sthulabhadra,¹ but he was forbidden to teach more than ten. The reference to the Mauryas in 1. 16, makes it clear that the seven Aṅgas were lost during the religious upheaval during the rule of the great Mauryas Chandragupta, Bindusāra and Aśoka. Most probably this loss to Jainism was in some way made good by Khāravela.