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INTRODUCTION The Ādīśvaracaritra is the first book of the Trişaşțisalākāpuruşacaritra, the Lives of the Sixty-three Famous Men, by the Jain Ācārya Hemacandra, who lived in Gujarat from 1088 to 1172 A.D. It must be one of his latest works, as is evident from the Prasasti to the tenth book, where he enumerates works that he has written for King Kumārapāla, for himself, and for the people.
The biographies of the Trişaşțiśalākāpuruşacaritra vary greatly in extent and interest. Some consist of little but statistics, quite as dry as thoroughly authentic ones. Others are rich in folk-lore, fiction, exposition of Jain doctrine, etc. The Adiśvaracaritra is one of the best, containing the biographies of the first Tirtharkara, Rsabha, and the first Cakravartin, Bharata. It is in itself almost a handbook of Jainism; for the lexicographer it has a large amount of new material; and for the student of folk-lore and the origin of customs it gives the Jain tradition, which is very different from the Hindu.
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