Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c14.s3.t2.1

c14.s3.t2.1

The abode of a *Jakkha* is often referred to as a *ceiya* (Pali *cetiya*) or *āyatana* in the Jain canons. In the Epics *caitya* was intimately associated with the place where Vedic sacrifice had been performed. Here sometimes *caitya* is no more than a sacred tree or a tree with an altar which is termed as resort of the *Devas*, *Yaksas*, *Rāksasas* etc., and hence not to be injured. In the *Rāmāyana* we come across words such as *caityagṛha*, *caityaprāsāda* and *caityavṛksa*. In the *Yājñavalkya smṛti*, *caityas* serve the boundary limits of a village or a *janapada*. Kautilya refers to *caityas* as houses of belong to the hostile group.²⁵¹ In Jain canons the term vānamantara is commonly used for Yaksas and Rāksasas.²⁵² Like Jakkhama-ha, Bhūyamaha was also considered as one of the four great festivals and was celebrated on the full-moon day of the month of caitra as we have seen Bhūyaggala or the obsession by the evil spirit is mentioned The persons suffering from the obsession of the evil spirits were treated by Bhūyavijjā, which prescribed soothing rites (sāntikamma) and offering of bali to deva, asura, gandhavva, jakkha, rakkhasa and other deities. The persons versed in demonology (bhūyavāya) are referred to. There were dealers in antidotes and charmers (gārudiya · bhojja bhatta . catta) who knew the science of spirits or exorcism and by means of various ceremonies, enchantments and preservatives (akkhāmandala) cured²⁵³ those possessed