________________
their fundamental form as mentioned in the scriptures and to augment Jain doctrine and philosophy. Thus it made the most significant and historical contribution which is and will be written in golden letters in the history of Jainism.
In Tap gaccha Pa val and Pravacana Par k authored by Dharma S gara ga i, the origin of Kharataragaccha is dated back to Vikram 1204. Apart from having a light touch of conventional prejudices, it appears that these authors had some fallacy about gaccha.
The persons who bred contempt against renowned Kharataragaccha, vilifying its contribution, called it with ugly names like ‘au rika gaccha', 'c mumḍika gaccha', etc. mentioning that it was founded by (D d) Jinadatta S ri in Vikram 1204 and came to be known as 'au rika gaccha', 'c mumḍika gaccha' and Kharataragaccha from the times of material-based monk Jinadatta S ri itself. However according to the authentic evidences the real fact is that Jine wara S ri, the disciple of Varddham na S ri defeated Temple dwellers in a spiritual discourse in Vikram 1080, in P a a, in the court of Durlabhasena of C lukya dynasty. Impressed by his scripture-based logic and beliefs and the way he beat his opponents with his eloquence, King Durlabhasena, time and again praising Varddham na S ri, Jine wara S ri etc. said, "They are authentic and guileless (Khar )." From then onwards imitating the king, the people also called the disciples and monks of Varddham na S ri as 'Khar (authentic and guileless). Thus the group of monks and nuns, who were genuine, pure, guileless and proved themselves to be as perfect and pure as gold, had been addressed by the people as 'Khar '; and the name stayed. Hence the word is not a title but a commendatory word.
With the passage of time, the words of praise and appreciation, 'Khar (authentic) and Atikhar (most authentic) uttered by Durlabhasena apropos of the gaccha founded by Varddham na S ri, gave it, the permanent name 'Kharataragaccha'.
Up dhy ya Dharma S gara ga i of Tap gaccha, the author of Tap gaccha Pa val of Vikram 17th century tried his best to prove that Durlabhar ja did not bestow the title upon Jine wara S ri or rama as of their gaccha. His version was that because of his ferocity and head-strong temperament, people addressed Jinadatta S ri as 'Kharatara' (crude). So
149