The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c18.46

v1.c18.46

Mahāvīra survived his hated rival Gosāla for sixteen years, and probably witnessed the rapid progress of his faith during the reign of Ajātaçatru, who seems to have been a supporter of the Jains, if we may infer that gratitude is the motive which leads them to make excuses for the horrible murder of his father, Bimbisāra. However, we are not informed of any special events happening during the last period of his life, which may have been as monotonous as that of most religious mendicants. He died, after having reached an age of 72 years, in the house of king Hastipāla’s scribe in the little town of Pāwā near Rājagṛiha, a place still visited by thousands of Jain pilgrims. This event may have occurred at the end of the rainy season in the year 468 B.C. Thus, he had survived both of his principal adversaries; for Buddha’s decease most probably took place at least ten, if not fifteen, years earlier¹.