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THE SVBTĀJBARA LITBRATURB
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Mahavir acarita, composed in V.S. 1141. This work should be assigned to the closing years of the eleventh century. It describes the love-affair of Ratnacūļa and Tilakasundari, although like Naravāhanadatta of the Brhatkathā literature, he wins the love of a few other beautiful ladies. The influence of the Ka lambari on this and other Jain poems, of this time, is quite clear. The poet also speaks about the everyday life of the common people. In this connexion, we come across a cantankerous wife of a merchant called Isvarī, who never regarded the begging monks, as welcome guests62. There is a good description of a Deva temple of Pāțaliputra's. Like other Jain works of literature, this work also contains good stories about common people.
Tne third work of Nemicandra, viz. the Mahāvīracarita's, as we have already seen, was composed in V.S. 1141, corresponding to 1033 A.D. It was written in Prakrit and has altogether 2385 verses. Although the work does not contain much new information, it is written in a simple yet graceful style. The same author has also written a Vștti on the celebrated Mülasūtra text the Urtarādhyaya 1a, called by the name Sukhabodhaes. It is based on the commentary of Šāntācārya called Sishyahitā 6, Nemicandra has incorporated several stories in his Vrtti, which has certainly made his commentary a readable work. It was written, according to the Prasisti, at Apabilapāțaka in V.S. 1129, in the temple of Dohadi merchant of that town.
Hundreds of Śvetāmbara Jain writers, wrote their works, in the 12th century. Luckily for us, almost all the impore tant Jain narrative or religious works, of this period, are dated. We should further note that the 12th century was indeed the golden age of Jainism in Western India, particularly Rajasthan and Gujarat. Some of the kings, as we have already seep. openly patronised the Jain saints and authors. A good number of historical works, both in Sans krit and Prakrit, were also written in this century.
Several works, were writtten on Kālaka or Kālikās
