Context:
A thousand-year-old Mahavir statue has been discovered in Tamil Nadu.
Statue of Mahavir:
- Location – Tamil Nadu
- Time period – 11th century AD, during the Chola period.
- Made of – Granite
- Features –
- Depicts Mahavir sitting on a throne with makara-toranas (arches with mythical creatures) on both sides.
- A triple umbrella above his head, which has creepers carved on it
- Sculptures of yakshas (attendant deities)
- A halo behind his head, called prabhavali
- The halo has a tiara design representing chandraditya (moon and sun), nityavinoda (eternal bliss), and kala-bhasana (time and speech)
- Significance –
- Testimony to the rich and diverse heritage of Tamil Nadu
- Reveals the traces of Jainism in the region, which has been largely overshadowed by the dominant Hindu and Buddhist traditions.
Lord Mahavira:
- 24th Tirthankara in Jain tradition
- Birth – Kundagrama, Bihar in 540 BC.
- Parents – Siddhartha (head of the Jnatrikas, a Kshatriya clan) and Trishala, a Lichchavi princess.
- Life –
- At the age of 30, Vardhamana left his home and became an ascetic.
- At the age of 42, he attained the ‘Supreme Knowledge’ (Kaivalya) at Jrimbhikagrama near Rijubalika river
- First Sermon – Vipulachala, near Rajagriha
- Titles – Mahavira (the supreme hero), Jina (the conqueror), ‘Nirgrantha’.
- Symbol – Lion
- Preachings – He moved from place to place and preached his doctrines in Kosala, Magadha etc
- Patronage – He often visited the courts of Bimbisara and Ajatasatru.
- Death – Pavapuri near Rajagriha at the age of 72 (468 BC).
Source: Times of India
Previous Year Question
The Jain philosophy holds that the world is created and maintained by:
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2011 Prelims]
(a) Universal Law
(b) Universal Truth
(c) Universal Faith
(d) Universal Soul
Answer: (a)
