Location of the Place of Enlightenment of Lord Mahavira

Summary

In “Location of the Place of Enlightenment of Lord Mahavira,” Kanhayalal Saraogi applies historical geography to identify the site where Mahavira, the twenty‑fourth Tīrthaṅkara, attained kevala‑jñāna or omniscience. Jain tradition holds that Mahavira achieved enlightenment under a sāla tree on the northern bank of the river Rujukulyā (also called Rijubālikā) at a village called Jrimbhikagrāma on Vaiśākha śukla 10. After his attainment he is said to have remained silent until a suitable disciple was present, and then travelled to Pāvā, some 12 yojanas away, where he met Indrabhūti Gautama who became his first ganadhara. Modern scholars have proposed various sites for Jrimbhikagrāma, equating it with places such as Jharia, Jamui, Jambhī and Jagram in Bengal. Saraogi argues that these identifications lack solid grounds because none of them lie at a distance of 12 yojanas (54–55 miles) from Pāvāpuri or Pavanagar and none possess a river whose name resembles Rujukulyā. He therefore surveys the journey described in Jain texts: Mahavira, after finishing his twelfth rainy season at Campā, travelled northwest across the Ganges near Sonepur to Jrimbhikagrāma, meditated under a sāla tree belonging to a man named Syāmaka in the field of Vyavṛti Cāitya, attained omniscience, proceeded to Pāvā for a yajña, and subsequently undertook extensive travels. By following this itinerary and correlating it with modern geography, Saraogi proposes that Jrimbhikagrāma corresponds to the village of Jhanjhwa in the old district of Sāran in Bihar. He notes that the name Jhanjhwa closely resembles Jrimbhika; a small rivulet near the village, known in Buddhist sources as Kulyā, may be the dried up Rujukulyā; and the region is within the narrow belt of north Bihar, eastern U.P. and Nepal where sāla trees grow, an essential feature of the enlightenment narrative. He adds that Jhanjhwa lies roughly 54–55 miles southeast of Pāvā and northwest of Campā, satisfying the distance requirement, and it is connected by a metalled road to Gopalganj, Barauli and the national highway from Lucknow to Assam, with the nearest railway station at Sidhwalia. These four factors—the similarity of names, presence of a river bed, growth of sāla trees and correct distance—support his identification. The article thus combines textual criticism and regional geography to provide a plausible location for the most sacred site in Jainism outside Pāvā.