Jainism in Rajasthan

Rajasthan’s article traces Jainism back to the Badli inscription of the 5th century B.C. which records the Madhyamika branch at Nagari and indicates an early presence. The religion re‑emerged in the 7th century and prospered through the support of sādhus, rulers and wealthy merchants. During Mahavira’s lifetime, the Sindhu‑Sauvira king Udain became a Jain, and inscriptions suggest that Mahavira visited Sṛīmālā and Arbuda (Mount Abu). The Badli inscription dated 84 years after Mahavira’s nirvāṇa mentions the foundation of Madhyamika by Priyagrantha and hints at the establishment of a Jaina community there. Jainism flourished under the Mauryas: Candragupta Maurya, a Jaina, controlled part of Rajasthan, and his grandson’s inscription at Bairath confirms this. Samprati, known as the ‘Jain Ashoka’, reputedly erected many temples across Rajasthan, Gujarat and Malavah. Greek writers described ‘gymnosophists’ (nude ascetics) and women who studied religion in western India, indicating Jain influence. The article recounts the Saka period when the monk Kālaka won the patronage of the Saka king Maues and possibly persuaded him to mint coins depicting a Tirthankara. Subsequent sections (not fully reproduced) summarise the patronage of Paramara, Rathor and other Rajput dynasties and note that rulers and ministers across Bharatpur, Mewar and Vagadadesa built temples, endowed villages and protected Jain monks.

Summary reviewed by a volunteer editor.