which is the oldest parshnath idol all over the world?
There are two different ways to look at this question:
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1. According to Jain traditional belief (śāstriya dṛṣṭi)
From the point of view of Jain granth and tirth-māhātmya, many idols of Bhagwan Pārśvanāth are described as anādi / very-very ancient, not just “a few thousand years”.
Some famous examples:
- Śaṅkheśvar Pārśvanāth (Gujarat) – Very highly praised in Jain tradition; many texts and elders describe this idol as extremely ancient, existing from very early times of this avasarpiṇī. ( en.wikipedia.org)
- Antarikṣa Pārśvanāth (Shirpur, Gujarat) – In Vividha Tīrtha Kalpa it is said that this idol is the third-oldest idol in the universe, after:
So, as per Jain faith and tradition, the pramukh “oldest” Pārśvanāth idol is generally taken to be Śaṅkheśvar Pārśvanāth, with Antarikṣa Pārśvanāth also described as extremely ancient.
(These are matters of āstikya–śraddhā based on Jain texts, not on modern scientific dating.)
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2. According to modern archaeology / history
From the side of historians and archaeologists:
- The earliest securely dated images of Pārśvanāth are from around 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE.
- Important early examples include:
Archaeology keeps changing as new excavations happen, so no one can say with 100% certainty which single idol is the absolutely oldest in the whole world.
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Simple summary
- In Jain śraddhā and granth-paramparā:
- In modern historical / archaeological terms:
So, for a Jain believer, the answer usually given is Śaṅkheśvar Pārśvanāth Bhagwan (and Antarikṣa Pārśvanāth as one of the oldest), while historians speak more carefully in terms of the earliest known images, not a single oldest idol.