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Dr. Charlotte Krause : Her Life & Literature
as specified in Su. viii, st. 7. viz., the 13th Māgha, Bright Half, S. 1547, the name of the donor Jāvada of the śrīmāli-clan, and, mostly, those of his four wives, his son Hīrā with wife, his adopted relation Lālā, all the ancestors, except Hāparāja, with their wives, and Rājamalla's elder brother Meghã and sister Sānī, all of whom are also found in one or other of the literary sources. They also agree with the latter as well as with one another in naming Ācārya Sumatisādhu Sūri, successor of Ācārya Laksmīsāgara Sūri of the Tapā-gaccha as the consecrating dignitary, and in mentioning ( with one exception ) that 104 statues were simultaneously consecrated there and then.
The mathematical precision with which, in this way, statements and figures of literary sources are confirmed by epigraphic evidence, forms a splendid vindication of the historical value of the much maligned Jaina literature and should entitle the researcher to trust it even in cases when there happens to be no epigraphic material to bear it out.
This presupposes, however, that the texts are interpreted with true philological accuracy and with the unprejudiced endeavour to find out the truth and nothing out the truth. Othervise, pseudo-history is created, as has happened in the case of the object of this article, Jāvada, who, contrary to all evidence, or in absence of it, has in all earnest been reported to have adorned Mandu with temples, to have caused the gold-lettered Kalpa-sūtra manuscript to be written, to have installed stone idols, and to have belonged to the Kharatara-gaccha.
It is hoped that this small study has succeeded in revealing a minute, but true picture of a phase of Jaina cultural history, which, though restricted to the narrow limits of Old Mandu, may well be taken as representative of the India of that time, for Jainism with its ever wandering, ever teaching, ever respected monks has never allowed itself to remain confined within geographical boundaries.
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