The Beginning of Jainism in Ancient Orissa

Summary

The article examines the genesis and spread of Jainism in ancient Orissa using epigraphic, literary and archaeological evidence. It opens by citing the Hathigumpha inscription of King Kharavela of the Chedi dynasty (c. first century BCE), which is the earliest definitive record of a Jaina ruler in Kalinga. The inscription details Kharavela’s devotion to the Jina, his patronage of monks, repairs to Jaina caves at Udayagiri and Khandagiri, and his retrieval of a Jina idol taken away by Magadhan forces. However, the author contends that Jainism reached Orissa long before Kharavela and that the inscription simply marks a zenith. Drawing on Jaina scriptures, Buddhist texts and the Jātaka stories, he traces Jaina influences back to the pre‑Buddhist period. Stories of King Karandu of Kalinga and princes like Dummukha of Uttarapancala, Nami of Videha and Naggaji of Gandhara renouncing the world and adopting the Jaina faith suggest that the religion was present in eastern India centuries earlier. The article notes that Ajivikas and Nirgranthas (early terms for Jains) were active in the ancient port of Tamralipta in south‑western Bengal, and trade routes connecting Bengal and Kalinga may have enabled monks to travel to Orissa. It examines the Kalpasūtra’s reference to the Tamraliptika sect founded by the monk Godasa, which had a branch in Midnapur (West Bengal), and proposes that monks from this community carried the faith into Orissa. The author also analyses accounts of Kalinga merchants trading at Gaya and Rajagriha, interactions between Mahavira and Gosala, and the presence of Jaina ascetics in Punnabhumi (likely modern Vajjabhumi), further indicating early Jaina activity in the region. Archaeological evidence from the rock‑cut caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri, with inscriptions referring to Aira Kharavela and the chieftains who built the caves for Jaina monks, corroborates the textual sources. In later centuries, Jainism continued to flourish under the Eastern Ganga and Somavamsi dynasties; Chinese pilgrim accounts mention Jaina temples and images at Puri and other sites. Although Jainism eventually declined due to the rise of Shaivism and Vaishnavism, many villages in coastal Orissa retain Jaina icons, and a few communities still venerate Parsvanatha. The article concludes that Orissa’s early adoption of Jainism resulted from a confluence of royal patronage, mercantile networks and cultural pluralism, and that understanding this history illuminates the region’s complex religious landscape.