Jaina Antiquities at Mayurbhanj District (Introduction)

Mayurbhanj, “the land of the maharajas”, the district in the northern Odisha presents a panorama of many millennia in the human history and is also known for its vibrant culture, beautiful temples, archaeological sites and remains. This district was the leading princely state of Odisha in the pre-independence days, courageously encountered the weave and turns of history under the peacock emblem Bhanjas that continued to flourish for many centuries as an independent sub-regional kingdom, enriching Odishan history and culture in the tribal dominated region. It gets its name from the continuous reign of two ancient kingdoms for over a thousand years it merged with the state of Odisha on January 1, 1949. The district lies between 21^o and 22^o north latitude and 85^o and 87^o east longitude as the northern boundary of the state. It has a geographical area of 10418sq.km (or 10418 lakh hectares), which is the 6.69% of the total geographical area of the State. The percentage of plain land is comparatively lower than the highland and hills. The distr ict is bounded on the north by West Bengal and Jharkhand, on the west by Keonjhar district and on the east by Balasore district of Odisha.

Mayurbhanj has nine major perennial rivers namely Budhabalanga, Deo, Sunei, Gangahar, Jambhira, Kharjhai, Khairibhadan, Bankabal, Katara and their tributaries, which originate mainly from Similipal hills. The Budhabalanga is the main river which rises from the Similipal hills and flows about 90km through the Katra, Palpala and Chipat hill streams are its important tributaries. The river Baitarini divides the districts of Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar.

Mayurbhanj and its adjacent districts of Odisha, Singhbhum, Manbhum and Sareikela districts of Jharkhand and Medinapore of West Bengal are extremely rich in Jaina antiquities. The Jaina Tirthankara found in Mayurbhanj district belongs to the medieval period. No early specimen of Jaina antiquities has been discovered. Significantly, the Bhanjas ruling over this territory and Keonjhar region were Jaina by faith in early phase of their rules. The Jaina relics of Mayurbhanj are found in the places like Badasahi, Ranibandh, Koisali, Khuntapala, Baripada and Khiching176.