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24. Pura Tattva Acharya Shri Jin Vijayaji Mooni Shri Jin Vijayaji was a famous archeologist and an ardent lover of old arts. He was an exceptional person. He inspired establishment of many research institutions, libraries, series of publication of old books and related schools. He contributed very much in expanding the invaluable store of Indian culture. He was a lover of study since his birth and a great man of his age.
Birth: He was born on 27th January 1888 at Rupaheli village of Hurda Taluka of Bhilwara District in Rajasthan. His generation was in warrior's line of Parmar community. Shri Birdhisingh (Vruddhisingh) and Shrimati Rajkunvar were his parents. His childhood name was Kishansinh. The elders of Mooni Shri Jin Vijayaji had participated in the Indian Independence revolution and hence the British who had killed several of his relatives also confiscated the family property. His grandfather had reached Rupaheli after living underground for several years. He could earn the sympathy of the local ruler and had established well in the village. The father of Mooni Shri was appointed as an officer in forest department. He had a distance of piles in his old age and he had received his treatment from the Jain mendicant Shri Devihans. Shri Devihans was very much pleased with the intellectual ability of the child Kishansinh. He instructed Birdhisingh to see that Kishansinh studies very well and very much and that he will bring the name of his family very high. The father of Kishansinh died in 1899 and the whole family was totally helpless. It was not possible to put the child Kishansinh for study in a school. Seeing this, the mendicant Devihans kept the child Kishansinh with him for his study. But mendicant Devihans met with an accident and he died within three months. Kishansinh was again in helpless condition. He had served Devihans very much and Kishansinh had deep desire for study and knowledge. Hence instead of going back to his home, Kishansinh went with one another mendicant Shri Gambhirmal and reached the village Mandya. He studied here for two and a half years. After this Kishansinh came to Chittore with mendicant Gambhirmal and stayed there only. He was doing agricultural work here. Here he came in contact with a Marwari Sthanakvasi mendicant. Kishansinh was always eager to know new things and the company of this Sthanakvasi Jain mendicant made him also a Sthanakvasi mendicant. Within much less time of his being a mendicant he committed to memory some books of Jainism. But his desire for study was very deep while there was no enough facilities for study. He, therefore, decided to leave this sect of Sthanakvasi after deep thinking and one night left the Upashraya. He came to the dilapidated houses of Ujjayini on foot and left his clothes of mendicant at the bank of Kshipra River. He stayed at Ratlam and nearby villages and then came to Ahmedabad with a view to take up further study. He, however, could not take study and at last, he came to meet one Samvegi mendicant named Sundarvijayaji at Pali village in Marwar. He adopted Dixa under him and accepted the name of Jin Vijayaji with which he was known till the end of his life. While moving after Dixa he came over to Beawar where he had contact with famous Jain Acharya Vijay Vallabh Sooriji. There were two or three Pandits with him and Jin Vijayaji joined with them in their movement to have further study in religion. His sphere of study went on expanding and he was much interested in research work in history. He studied VeerBhoomi Rajasthan and with that he wanted to know much more about the past days of Rajasthan. He studied with historical point of view all the hand-written books or leaf-writings could be available. During his stay at Mehsana for the rainy days he had the acquaintance of famous Jain Acharya Shri Kantivijayaji and his disciples Chaturvijayji and Punya Vijayaji. They helped Shri Jin Vijayaji very much in his studied. In the memory of Acharya Kantivijayaji, he started Shri Kantivijay Jain Historical Publication series and many important books were published in this series. The books were accepted and honored by many learned personalities.
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