Sramana 2005 01

SR No.: 525055
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Shreeprakash Pandey
Publisher: Parshvanath Vidhyashram Varanasi
Publication Year: 2005
Total Pages: 280
Language: Hindi
Classification: Magazine, India_Sramana, & India
File Size: 12 MB

Page 118

The Jain Manuscript and Miniature Tradition : 111
monks. One of the oldest checklists is dated 1383.16 These lists documented information such as the box number, manuscript number, title, and total number of folios. Sometimes they also included the name of the authors.
The worship of scriptures on Jnana Pañcami:
Jñāna Pañcami, or "Knowledge Fifth", is a Śvetämbara Jaina festival closely associated with the promotion, propagation and preservation of manuscripts and the tradition of writing. It is a unique festival celebrated on the fifth day of the bright half of the month of Kārtika (October-November). It is said to have been started by Devardhi Gani Kṣamāśramana, who was responsible for the final redaction of the Śvetāmbara Jaina canon at Valabhi. This date is well-chosen, coming after the rainy season when the climate is relatively dry and suitable for taking the manuscripts out for inspection. On this day pious Jains spruce up the bhanḍāra and the manuscript collection. The manuscripts are spread in the sunshine to dry out, dusted down and folios, which have stuck together, are carefully separated. A fresh supply of the insect repelling herb ghoḍavaja is also put in the boxes or cupboards. New cloth-wraps, book covers, or anything else, which needs replacement, is usually attended to on this day. The worship of the books (Jñāna-pūjā) is also performed on this day." A similar festival, Śruta Pañcami, or "Scripture Fifth" is observed by the Digambaras in the month of May.
II
Jaina Miniatures of the Western Indian Style:
The art of painting was very much in vogue in ancient India, as literary and archaeological evidence shows. The earliest indirect reference to painting lies in the tradition of the professional storytellers (mamkhas) who used to narrate their tales with the help of a picture board. They were popular in Eastern India in the sixth century BCE, the period of Mahāvīra and Buddha. Mańkhali Gośālaka, an adversary of Mahāvīra, was the son of such a mamkha. 18 A more tangible