Book Title: History of Jaina Monachism
Author(s): S B Deo
Publisher: Deccan College Research Institute

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Page 579
________________ 574 S. B. DEO (8) Just as the later literary sources reveal an increase in the practice of spells and supernatural powers, the epigraphs of the medieval period also do the same. (9) The inscriptions right from the early centuries of the Christian era show a strong organisation of nuns in the Church, and some of the details of nun-life like tonsure, death, etc. are referred to. (10) The epigraphs reveal the studious habits of Jaina monks and their literary achievements. (11) Temple-building and image-worship is seen to have become a costly affair, and the epigraphs depict the pompous element in such worship. Not only this, they reveal that many of the Brāhmanical deities like Ganesa, Sarasvati and others had found their way into the Jaina pantheon also. Of course, in many a context, they have a significance other than what we generally understand. (12) The epigraphs refute the charge against Jaina monachism that it led to a feeling of depression in the martial spirit of the people, inasmuch as they reveal a number of militant patrons of Jainism. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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