Rude Travel: Down The Sages

Going by the legends, if there was a great Jain teacher in 877 BC, then Jainism is a much older religion than Buddhism. But is it also older than Hinduism itself? Vir Sanghvi wonders.

Going by the legends, if there was a great Jain teacher in 877 BC, then Jainism is a much older religion than Buddhism. But is it also older than Hinduism itself?

Shravanabelagola, a Jain pilgrimage site, is where the 57-feet-high giant monolithic statue of Bahubali stands on a hill. The statue is carved from a single slab of granite Photos: Getty Images

Buddhist texts refer to Jainism as a flourishing religion that already existed long before the Buddha began preaching Photo: Thinkstock

There is a hill at Shravanabelagola with a temple dedicated to Chandragupta Maurya, and his footprints along with those of his guru Bhadrabahu

The Indus Valley seal with a god-like figure surrounded by animals has been likened to Pashupati