Comprehensive History of Jainism Volume II

Author(s): Aseem Kumar Chaterjee
Publisher: Firma KLM Pvt Ltd

Page 14

COMPRBABNSIVE HISTORY OF JAINISM
is also confirmed by the evidence of the Kharat aragacchaBrhadgurvāvali1, according to wbich Vāyada was quite wellknown for the temple of Jiyanta Svāmi Mahāvira (Lord Mahāvira before he became a recluse). That work further informs 20 us that this temple was visited by the great Jinacandrasūri, the head of the Kharataragaccha in the Vikrama year 1368, corresponding to 1310 A.D. This temple is again mentioned si in connexion with the activities of the monks of the same gaccha in the Vikrama years 1380 and 1381, corresponding to 1322 and 1323 A.D. On the Vāyadatirtha, we will have something more to say in the chapter on the Jain Tirthas.
The Prabhāvakacarita, a2 composed in Vikrama Samvat 1334, corresponding to 1276 A.D., by Prabhācandra, gives the interesting information that the vetāmbara saint Sūrācārya was a friend and cousin of Bhima I, The same king also patronised Abhayadeva, the well-known commentator of the Anga texts. %8 A few other Jain writers of this time also received patronage from Bhima I and this will be discussed elsewhere in this book,
Bhima I was succeeded around 1064 A.D, by his youngest son Karna." He had a total reign of nearly thirty years, and Jainism continued to flourish in Gujarat during his time. Although no Jain inscription of his reign is known, we have a few dated Jain manuscripts of his reign. At least two of them mention him by name. A manuscript of Nišithasūtracurnia5 of Jinadāsagani was copied at Kürlyāgrāma in the Vikrama Samvat 1145, corresponding to 1087 A.D. Another Jain manuscript viz. Yogadsstisamuccaya26 of Svetabhiksharācārya Haribhadrasya' was copied at Anabilapāțaka in the 'anspicious reign' of Karņadeva in the very next year i.e. 1146 V.S., corresponding to 1088 A.D. Quite a few other Jain manuscripts?", were also apparently copied during his reign ; but the ruling king is not mentioned in the colophons of those manuscripts.
According to the statement of Rājasekhara (1424 A.D.),