Jainism and Nepal

Summary

Industrialist and scholar H. C. Golchha’s article “Jainism and Nepal” investigates the historical connections between the Jain religion and Nepalese culture. Golchha recalls that the Jain faith was formerly known as Ārhat Dharma and attributes its origin to Tīrthaṅkara Ṛṣabha Deva, who is regarded as the propounder of human civilisation. According to the Śrīmad Bhāgavata, Ṛṣabha Deva is considered the eighth incarnation among the twenty‑four incarnations of Viṣṇu. The author notes that the name of India, Bhārata Varṣa, derives from Bhārata, the eldest son of Ṛṣabha Deva. Golchha emphasises that several of the twenty‑four Tīrthaṅkaras have connections with the region now part of Nepal: Mallinātha, the nineteenth Tīrthaṅkara, was born at Mithilāpur in Nepal; Nāminātha, the twenty‑first Tīrthaṅkara, was also believed to have been born in the same area. He mentions that Bhadra Bāhu, a revered Jain pontiff, performed penance at Puṣkarāma on the banks of the river Kālī Gaṇḍakī in Nepal and that the śpūrva texts were said to have been preserved there. Golchha recounts legends linking the colossus of Bāhubalī at Śravaṇa Beḷagoḷa in Karnataka with its twin in Nepal and notes that the world‑renowned image is part of a tradition of Jain iconography that once extended into Himalayan regions. The article points out that many ancient palm‑leaf Jain manuscripts, including rare canonical works and commentaries, are preserved in libraries in Kathmandu. Golchha also highlights modern Jain communities in Nepal: Śvetāmbara and Digambara families live in the Terai towns and Kathmandu, and in July 1991 the Terāpanthī sect established the Bhagavān Mahāvīr Jain Niketan centre in Kathmandu. He argues that while Jainism may not be widely practised in Nepal today, the historical and textual connections between the two regions are profound. The article urges scholars to examine Nepalese sources for evidence of early Jain influence and calls for cooperation between Nepalese and Indian researchers to preserve and study Jain manuscripts.