________________ JAINISM IN NORTH INDIA of the time.... The pomp attached to Acaryship is great. Royal insignias, such as elephant, horse, palanquin, chowries, umbrella, as well as Yogapattaka (diagram for worship) and Khatika (pen), books, Crystal-bead-rosary, and sandals are presented to Acarya on conferment of the dignity. ... The reference in the Nitya-Karma-Vidhi to Ashta Murta (eightfold form, Siva) is important, and shows that Jaina worshup was influenced by Tantrika Agamas, where the chief deity is Siva." 1 Thus from all that we have seen above this much is certain that even the unrecorded period of Jaina history can safely claim to have had a copious and in part ancient literature. Though ours is in no sense an exhaustive survey of the traditional literature of the Jainas belonging to this period, there would be no exaggeration if we conclude that the Jaina literature of the period under discussion does not yield to any other Indian literature either in quality or in variety. All the species are represented in it, not only those which have an immediate bearing on the canonical writings-that is to say, the dogmatic, the moral, the polemic and the apologetic ---but also history and legend, epic and romance, and lastly the sciences, such as astronomy and, above all, sciences like astrology and divination. 1 Thayeri, op.at , Int., p. 5. 244
