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JAIN LITERATURE.
in starting a Bhandar or library in connection with temples, Upasarus or Poshalas. This is the reason why we find Jain libraries in almost every big city of Rajputana. Malwa, Guzrat and Kathiawad, attached to some temple or upasara, established at different periods for the use of the Sangha. Dr. Buhler mentions a Mss. of the Avasyak Sutra, which bears date A. D. 1132 and is declared to be the oldest extant Sanskrit manuscript on paper. The oldest classical literature of both the Kanarese and Tamil are composed by the Jains. Further to quote the words of Dr. Barnett "Some day, when the whole of the Jain Scriptures will have been critically edited and their contents lexically tabulated, together with their ancient glosses, they will throw many lights on the dark places of ancient and modern Indian languages and literature."
The latter Jain works abound in Sanskrit and Vernacular pieces. We find extensive Vernacular literature among the Jains from the 14th or 15th century till the present day. These deal mostly with lives and biographies of famous Jain Saints and
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