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JAINISM IN NORTH INDIA
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of Delhi, who accompanied Jinakusala to those celebrated tīrthas of Gujarat, we may mention once more, Thakkura Pheruo, that influential Jain treasurer of the Muslim Sultans of Delhi. The relevant passages of this work, give an eye-witness account of this pilgrimage, undertaken by hundreds of influential Jain monks and śrāvakas from all over India, under the inspiring leadership of that Kharatara Acārya Jinakusala. It is quite significant to note that in connexion with the description of this journey, the author has not forgotten to mention the extreme hardship, inflicted on the hapless inhabitants of Saurāshtra by the maraudiog Muslim soldiers 1, which practically depopulated that janapada (Mlecchasainyopadravat sarvasun yāyām...Surashtrayām). But the Kharatara Acārya continued ceaselessly to work for the promotion of Jainism by undertaking repeated journeys and by inducing his followers to build or repair temples and paushadhaśālās. In V.S. 1381, Viradeva, a devoted follower of Jinakusala and a resident of Bhimapalli (10 miles from Patan), obtained a farmān from the Delhi Sultan Ghiyās-Ud-din“, which enabled him to visit the Jain tirthas of Gujarat. Therefore, there is little doubt, that at least, a few of the early Mohammedan kings of Delhi, grudgingly extended their hand of patronage to some Jain monks and śrāvakas, although their soldiers and generals practically did not spare any non-Muslim religious sect of India, and continued their "holy task” of demolishing the sacred places of the 'Kafirs'.
The KB*, also gives a very vivid and detailed account of some of the Jain tirthas of Sind (Sindhudeśa), which were visited by Jinakusala. We should remember that Sind, at that time, was fully under the Muslim control and majority of the inhabitants of that janapada, were Muslims. This courageous monk, it appears from the relevant passages of this extremely informative work, was not afraid of the Muslims, and moved about freely in towns and villages of that province. Some of the Jain tīrthas of this janapada,
