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Role of Women in Jaina Religion
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business affairs. When Campā Śravikā observed fast for six months, this fastimpressed the Moghal emperor Akbar who gave orders to stop violence throughout the state for as many days as the vow of fasting was to last.
Jaina women have also significantly contributed to the field of literary creation and in the exercise of the power of memorising. Sādhví Yaksā had the power to repeat verbatim any difficult passage of prose or a piece of poem that she would listen only one. Arya Poyāni played a significant role in the conference organised in the early years of the fourth centenary of Bhagavāna Mahāvīra's 'Nirvāṇa', with a view to systematising and protecting Agamic literature. About 500 Śramanas of the tradition of Ācārya Susthita had gathered on the occasion and 300 Sadhvís participated in the conference of Āgama reading under the guidance of Arya Poyāni.
Jaina Princess Auve of Cher state in South India was a poetess of ancient Tamil literature. For her stirring voice and moral preaching, Tamil speaking people still admire and adore her as mother Auve (Āryikā Mā). Väsuki, the wife of world-famous literary writer Thiruvalluvara, adopted a saintly way of life and played a significant role in the life of Thiruvalluvara.
Udaya Vidyādhara's wife Saviyabbe died fighting in the battle of Begepur along with her husband. There is an edict at Śravanabelgola which gives an account of this courageous woman having a sword in her hand and mountedon the horse. She is depicted as hitting at a warrior who is mounted on an elephant. An equally courageous woman was Candravallabhā, wife of King Rājamal, the second. She ruled over her teritory and established a huge Jaina idols. Atimbbe from South India was known for her donations in the closing years of the tenth century. She had strongly opposed the practice of Sati-widow-immolation. She got thousands of copies of the manuscript of "Šānti Purāņa" written by the Kannad poet Ponne, and distributed all these handwritten copies, and thus she managed to save the original manuscript. This led to the survival of many volumes and to the spread of education and literature in Karnatak. She was instrumental in the establishment of many Jaina idols. Mahākavi Ratna gave her the title of "Dānacintämaņi". In 1037 A.D. Akkadevi sister of Cālukya King Satyāśraya,
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