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Jalna Studies 1 Japan, Europe, India
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ested in any of those subjects in Indian cultural history should seek to evaluate the Jalna contributions in such areas.
4. The Jalna purāna-s are interesting from various viewpoints. Study of these texts would yield Insights into the development of Jalna mythology; and comparison with Buddhist and Hindu materials could suggest many revealing avenues of interpretation.
15. Jaina librarles contain numerous old palm-leaf and paper manuscripts. Some of them are very rare, and contain fine miniature paintings, Some work in this field has been done. What in needed 18 a well-considered project in collaboration with institutions in India, 10 which manus. cripts would be properly photographed (and perhaps microfilmed), and transparencles made of illustrations. This would enable scholars to have access to these materials, and greatly improve scholarship in these areas,
These fifteen suggested areas of study do not even begin to exhaust the possibilities for useful and creative work on the Jaina tradition. Howevor one might choose to evaluate them as goals for the immediate future, thoy (and the firat sections of this report) make one point unmistakably clear : the lack of work in North America on the Jainas docs not exist because of lack of materials or areas in need of work, What is needed now 18 a fresh commitment of scholarly energy, and a new awareness of the breadth and depth of the Jajna tradition,
