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at night. It seems that taking food at night was not a regular practice in certain regions where people abstained from nightfood. In certain parts of the country milk and milk-products were found in abundance. Even the Jaina monks, who were usually directed to abstain from taking rich diet, were allowed to take the same in those regions.1 It is evident that due to the social as well as climatic conditions the food-customs of different regions also widely differed. In such differing circumstances the Jaina monks were directed to observe regional or local customs for being successful in their aim, i.e. "to preach their religion without suffering the pangs of hunger."2 Dress
A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
The NC. provides us ample information regarding the nature of costume and textile material of the time. Elaborating the various rules that were to be observed by the Jaina monks and nuns with regard to their clothing, the author gives a vivid description of the clothes and costumes worn by men and women in society and also relates various processes involving weaving, washing, stitching, dyeing etc.
The clothes were variously known as vattha3, parihāṇa*, vasa", cīra, cela, civara or nevattha', and were divided into three categories: (i) cotton clothes (kappa siya), (ii) silken clothes (kosejjaka) and (iii) woollen clothes (unniya). The cotton cloth was manufactured from the hair of one-sensed beings (egemdiya-niş panna), the silken cloth from two to foursensed beings (vigaleṁdiya-niş panna) and the woollen cloth was
8
1. कम्हि य देसे गामे वा सो चेव दहिखीराति आहारो हवेज्ज, तत्थ विणा कारणेण TER-NC. 2, p. 243.
2. LAI., p. 128.
3. great få NC. 2, p. 56; NC, 3, p. 560.
4. NC. 1, p. 52.
5. NC. 3, p. 142.
6. NC. 2, p. 322.
7. NC. 1, p. 52.
8. NC. 3, p. 566,
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