Page Text
________________
The Jaina Philosophy duties are confined to the civil cases, they are as competent in these as they are the reverse in criminal cases from their tenets forbidding the shedding of blood.
Mewar has, from the most remote period, afforded a refuge to the followers of the Jaina faith, which was the religion of Valabhi, the first capital of Rana's ancestors, and many monuments attest the support this family has granted to its professors in all the vicissitudes of their fortunes. One of the best preserved monumental remains in India is a column most elaborately sculptured, full 70 feet in height, dedicated to Parshvanath - in Chitor. The noblest remains of sacred architecture, not in Mewar only, but throughout Western India, are Buddhist or Jaina; and the many ancient cities where this religion was fostered have inscriptions which evince their prosperity in these countries with whose history their own is interwoven. In fine, the neurological records of the Jainas bear witness to their having occupied a distinguished place in Rajput society; and the privileges they still enjoy prove that they are not overlooked."
The Jainas are advocates of education. Their benefactions to Western education and intellectual progress in India are well known. The University of Bombay owes to a Jaina merchant the means of erecting a stately library and a grand campanile, which are among the chief ornaments of the city. The Calcutta University has received an endowment of two lacks of rupees from the same hand. Another Jaina merchant has recently bequeathed five lacks of rupees for establishing a Jaina college. Female education in Gujarat depends almost entirely on Jaina liberality. Many schools, libraries, and scholarships have been founded or endowed by Jainas.
Being devotedly attached to the religion of their ancestors, they have built sumptuous buildings and magnificent temples, the style of which commands the applause of the best architectural
220
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
| SR No. | 006901 |
| Book Title | Jaina Philosophy |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Virchand R Gandhi, Kumarpal Desai |
| Publisher | World Jain Confederation |
| Publication Year | 2009 |
| Total Pages | 298 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 5 MB |