________________
RÅMAĞIŘI IN JAINA LITERATURE : 129
Tirthankaras on the hill of Rāmțek. But there were evidently some in the vicinity of Ramtek. A huge and beautiful image of Santinātha about 15 ft. in height, was discovered some years ago in the vicinity of Ramtek and has now been installed in a magnificent temple erected by the munificence of the Jaina community at Ramtek. In the same temple are also installed the images of the Tirthankaras Pārsvanātha and Candraprabha.
Rāmţek has been known as a sacred place from very early times. There are several temples of Hindu gods and goddesses on the hill of Ramtek. On one of the off-shoots of the hill there is a cave known from very early times as the cave of Nāgārjuna. At Mansar, which lies in the vicinity of Rāmțek, there are remnants of a Buddhist Vihāra. Its Jaina images have been mentioned above. The place was thus regarded as sacred by the followers of all the three great religions, Hindu, Bauddha and Jaina.
The description of Rāmagiri in the Paümacariya, on the other hand, definitely goes against the identification of Ramgarh with Rāmagiri of Kālidāsa's Meghadūta, for, firstly, there are no remains or vestiges of Jaina temples on or in the vicinity of Rāmgarh and, secondly, there is no evidence that Ramgarh lay to the north of ancient Dandakāranya.
WE
C
ra
G.J.V. 9
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
