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JAINISM IN NORTH INDIA
163 building Jina temples in Gujarat and Rajasthan, and in that connexion, he visited Devakulapāțaka, Rānakapura, Citraküța, Girnar etc.8. He is also mentioned in several inscriptions. His name appears on a metal image of Pārsvas, found from Ahmedabad and also on that of śāntinātha86, found from the same city. The first is dated in V.S, 1481 and the second in V.S. 1487. A third inscription57, dated V.S. 1501, on a metal icon of Sambhavanātha, which was consecrated by him, was also found from Ahmedabad. This is probably the last known date of this remarkable Jain saint, who not only was a great Jain sādhu of his days, but also the guru of several important Jain scholars, whose literary activities will be reviewed in the chapter on the Svetämbara literature. We will also have to refer to him later, in this chapter, in connexion with Jainism in Rajasthan.
A well-known disciple of Somasundara was Munisundara, who was not only a great author, but also an active promoter of the religion of the Jinas.08 He was even honoured by the Muslim Naik of Cambay.69 He also flourished in the half of the 15th century. 60 A successful lady preacher, of this time, was Dharmalakshmi Mahattarão1, who had many disciples, and was greatly respected even by her male counterparts.
Hundreds of Jain works were written and copied during the fifteenth century in different places of Gujarat and Rajasthan. This proves that in spite of the virtual absence of royal patronage, Jainism remained an important religious system in those two states of Northern India. For the time of the great Somasundara (of the Tapā gaccha) we get several dates on manuscripts. An Agamapustakaprašasti, was copied at Devakulapāļakas, in the temple of Adideva (Rshabhanātha) in V.S. 1474, corresponding to 1416 A.D., during the spiritual reign of 'guru Somasundara sūri'. Another manuscript, discovered from Patanes, has the date V.S. 1479 and it also mentions this great monk. From the
