Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c19.172

c19.172

Thus the Kalpasūtra's authority on the itinerary of Mahāvīra is ancient and fairly reliable. It is evident from the Kalpasūtra that the ground which Mahāvīra covered during his ascetic life is roughly by Bihar, a part of northern-western Bengal and a part of eastern U.P. The tradition which mentions his visit to Vītibhaya, which according to the Jain tradition was the capital of Sindhu Sovīra, to preach to king Uddāyana, is of very doubtful veracity. The earliest reference to this visit is found in the Bhagavatī and later on certain Cūrṇis perpetuate the tradition. It is quite possible that in later times, when Jainism spread to Western India, the Jains did come in contact with the people of Sindhu Sovīra, and to prove that their connection with that part of the country was not new, the story of Mahāvīra's visit seems to have originated. In this connection it is interesting to note that Buddhism, when it spread to the Punjab and beyond, produced a literature which expressly mentions Buddha visiting those far off lands, which as a matter of fact seems to be quite absurd and analogous process, though on much lesser scale is evident in the Jain scriptures Jainism, however, never spread outsides the confines of India, neither there is proof that it gained a foot-hold in the Punjab at any time Hence Jainism had very few opportunities to sanctify the places in the Punjab with the presence of its *Tīrthaṅkaras*.