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(3) Reconstruction of the History of Jainism in the Western Coast of South India : Scholars like Saletore, Desai etc 1 noted that several petty kings and chieftains patronised Jainism in the Tuļuva country, and Mudabidri happened to be its last stronghold in the upper Western Coast of South India in the late medieval period. Then P. Gururaj Bhatt gave a better picture of this fact in this region. On the strength of some inscriptions and antiquities found in the Kerala region, some scholars have postulated that the 9th to 11th Cent. A.D. constituted a glorious period of Jainism in the Kerala region. But we do not have so far a good picture of Jainism that flourished in this region. It is learnt that the Bharatiya Jñanapitha entrusted P. Gururaj Bhat to conduct this kind of study. But unfortunately be expired suddenly and I have no idea of what were the fruits of his study and who has resumed his work.
(4) Jaina Teachers and Social Uplift in South India : Much of the work done in South Indian Jainism is regarding its religious and political aspects in the main. Now we can take up its social aspect and treat it thoroughly. The Jaina teachers, sermons, and the stories, illustrations etc. in them, were the most effective media of social education in the early and medieval periods. The Jaina teachers always struggled to eradi. cate the seven vices (sapta-vyasanas) from the masses and cultivate among them social virtues like compassion, truth, honesty, charity etc. Moreover the remarkable adaptability of Jainism to the contemporary social trends and local environments (keeping its basic tenets intact) can also be highlighted here. Keeping these and such other things in view, a social historian can take up this work for the full growth of the knowledge of South Indian Jainism.
(5) Contribution of Jainism to the Cultural Heritage of South India : This is one of the most important desiderations, which can also partly include the one noted just above. The tolerant attitude, accomodative nature, vegetarianism etc. available among the people of this part of the country, can be reasoned to owe much to the cultural impact of Jainism that gloriously flourished here. Tradition, political history, literature and above all the inscriptional wealth of this area, can be of great use in this task. S. Vaiyapuri Pillai observed "So far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, we may say that the Jainas were the real apostles of culture and learning. Moreover, Saletore long back understood the need of this work in the following words: "The contribution of Jainism to the culture of Karnatak, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh can be given in a separate dissertation."
(6) Lastly. I have to pose a small problem but not of less importance. It is, Satkhandagama and Drstivāda: Seemingly this problem is of a literary nature, but it has full bearing on South Indian Jainism-its tradition and its history. So far we were, on the strength of authority of eminent scholars like Hiralal Jain and A.N. Upadhye, under the impression that the Satkhandagama Volumes are the only surviving pieces of the
1. In their respective works noted above. 2. Op. cit., pp. 425 ff. 3. Vide P.B. Desai, Jainism in Kerala, Journal of Indian History, Vol. XXXV-2, 1957. 4. This is true even to this day. 5. Jaina teachers have told, and have been telling numerous stories to eradicate each one of these vices
from the life of the masses. 6. Op. cit., p. 60. 7. Op. cit., p. 262.
avara sit daryam H Agita fara
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