A processional terrace surrounds the walled pavement supporting the grey edifice, and the sculptured bas-reliefs denote the transitional stage of Buddhist faith, as it materialised through jainism into the Puranic mythology of Hindu creed.
"Through the Malay Archipelago"
Emily Richings
The latter might have abandoned the Jain religion on taking to cultivation, as a Jain cannot well drive the plough, which involves destruction of animal life; or the Bania section might have adopted jainism in order to obtain a better social position and differentiate themselves from the cultivators.
"The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India Volume II"
R. V. Russell
Buddhism and jainism also flourished in the south.
"Hinduism and Buddhism, Vol I. (of 3) An Historical Sketch"
Charles Eliot