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Jainism in Mathurā
makes mention of four sākhās of this gana.344 Only one sākhā of this gana existed at Mathurā during the Kusāna period. 345 It was called the Paitāputrika śākhā.346 According to the Kalpasūtra, the Uddeha gana had six kulas. 347 The two kulas of this gana which existed at Mathurā during the Kusāna period were – (1) the Ārya Nāgabhūtikīya kula348 and (2) the Paridhāsika kula. 349
According to the Kalpasūtra, the Vesavādiya gana had four kulas and four sākhās.350 One of them was called the Mehiya kula.351 Probably, this kula was called the Mehika or Maighika kula at Mathurā. We find mention of the Mehika or the Maighika kula in one of the Jaina inscriptions of Mathurā of the Kuşāņa period. 352 It is probable that the Vesavādiya gaṇa, too, existed at Mathurā during the Kusāna period.
The Jaina inscriptions of Mathurā probably provide the earliest information regarding the hierarchy in the Jaina Church. We find repeated mention of the titles gaṇin,353 vācaka,354 śraddhacara,355 śraddhacarī,356 amtevāsin,357 amtevāsini,358 or amtevāsikni 359 in the Jaina inscriptions discovered at Mathurā. The titles ganin, astevāsin and vācaka find mention in literature also.
344. HJM, p. 517. 345. EI, X, Appendix, no. 76. 346. Ibid. no. 76. 347. HJM, p. 517. 348. EI, I, no. 19. 349. EI, X, Appendix, no. 76. 350. HJM, p. 518. 351. Ibid. 352. EI, I, no. 2. 353. Ibid., nos. 4, 6. etc. 354. EI, X, Appendix, nos. 22, 27, etc. 355. Ibid., no. 29. 356. EI, I, no. 1; EI, II, no. 11. 357. EI, X, Appendix, no. 93. 358. Ibid., no. 99. 359. Ibid., no. 67.
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