Jain Remains of Ancient Bengal
by Shubha Majumder | 2017 | 147,217 words
This page relates ‘Jain Panca-Parameshthins’ of the study on the Jain Remains of Ancient Bengal based on the fields of Geography, Archaeology, Art and Iconography. Jainism represents a way of life incorporating non-violence and approaches religion from humanitarian viewpoint. Ancient Bengal comprises modern West Bengal and the Republic of Bangladesh, Eastern India. Here, Jainism was allowed to flourish from the pre-Christian times up until the 10th century CE, along with Buddhism.
Jain Pañca-Parameṣṭhins
Though among the Jain communities the worship of Tīrthaṅkaras is the prime object however, they also worship other four-fold divinity (Pañca-Parameṣṭhins i.e., five-fold divinity including the twenty-four Tīrthaṅkaras)
i) Siddha, the Liberated Soul;
ii) Ācārya, the preceptor (usually through his symbolic representation called sthāpamā;
iii) Upādhyāya, the teacher;
iv) Sādhu, a monk who has renounced worldly ties.
Throughout the Jain Church followers of Jainism have been invoked in the famous mantra–
Namo Arahan-tāṇam.
Namo Siddhāṇam.
Namo Āyariāṇam.
Namo Uvajjhāyāṇam.
Namo Savvasāhūṇam(Mohapatra 1984: 13; Shah 1987: 41) .