________________
JAINA COMMUNITY
87 Kharataragaċċha, the Añčalagaċċha, the Sārdhapunamiyagaċċha, the Agamikagaċċha and the Tapagaċċha.1
Thus weakened, Jainism could ill withstand the Mohammedan deluge which swept over India in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Jaina temples were razed to the ground, their sacred books burnt and their monastic communities massacred. Buddhism was simply swept out of India proper altogether by the storm, but, as we have already noticed, Mahāvira's genius for organization now proved the salvation of his community. Firmly rooted amongst the laity, they were able, once the hurricane was past, to reappear once more and begin to throw out fresh branches.
One trace of their suffering still remains in the way the Jaina guard their sacred books in Treasure Houses (often underground) to which no alien can gain admittance.
The next outstanding event in Jaina history was the rise Rise of of the non-idolatrous sects. The Sthānakavāsi love to the non
idolapoint out the similarity of dates between their risc, which trous was a true Reformation as far as they were concerned, and se that of the birth and work of Martin Luther in Europe. They arose not directly from the Svetāmbara but as re. formers of an older reforming sect.
Lonkā Śā was the name of an Aḥmadābād Jaina belonging The originally to the Svetāmbara sect, who employed several clerks to copy the Jaina scriptures. About A.D. 1474 a Svetāmbara sādhu named Jñānaji asked him to copy several sacred books for him: whilst reading these, Lonkā Sā was struck with the fact that idol-worship was not once mentioned in them. He pointed this out to Jñānaji and others, and a sharp controversy arose between them as to the lawfulness of idolatry. In the meantime a crowd of pilgrims going to Satruñjaya arrived in Ahmadābād and were won over to Lonkā Sā's side, but unfortunately they had no sādhu amongst them. At length
1 This last is the most important sect. It is ruled by twelve Sripūjya, the chief of whom has his seat in Jaipur.
sect.
