________________
1914.] JAINA GAZETTE.
197 the years 1890-brought to light a large number of dated inscriptions belonging to the time of the great king Kaniska and his successors, and it was Bubler who deciphered them and deinonstrated their importance. He showed how clearly they proved the contiguity of the Jain religious practices and reliability of the traditions as regards Ganas, Kalas, Sakhas and similar institutions recorded in the Kalpasutra and other works. The inscriptions are more than 100 in number, and they record chiefly the pious gifts of images and votive tablets, which were called Ayagapatas, something like the Siddhacak. ras of later times. The gifts were made usually by lay persons at the instigation of teachers, who were monks and nuns, and it is an interesting fact that inost of the donors were women which raises a suspicion that the rains where the inscriptions are found are those of a nunnery.
Now Buhler diù not stop at this point. He went on to publish specimens of the sculptures, and of some he furnished an interpretation. All those sculptures may now be seen figured in the handsome volume published by Dr. Vincent Smith for the Archæological Survey. But little more has been done for their interpretation. Now here is the desideratum which I wish to make known to our readers. It is not only from Mathura that we have such representation of Jaina Art. How many volumes are there published for the Archæological Survey by the veteran scholar and architect Dr. James Burgess and others which contains drawings and photographs of such sculptures! Caves and temples, ruined or still intact, supply them in fair abundance. But as concerns their interpretations I can only recall (besides catalogues of Museums) one or two articles by Dr. Burges himself, and one by Mr. D. R. Bhandarkar. Ought we not to have, first of all, a complete catalogue of them, giving references to the books in which they are to be found? And in the explanation of them may we not hope for help from the special knowledge of the living Jain community? In this respect we are most fortunately placed than in the case of Buddhism, where the scholars
have liad to rely upon themselves. There is for instance a gift Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com