ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 01

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 58

During 4th-6th centuries AD, Gupta dynasties ruled most of north Indian states. All three religions i.e. Vaişanava (mixed breed of Vedic and Jains), Jains and Buddhist religions prospered with royal families who practiced Vaisnava religion generally. This is the time during which temple and images, famous art centers like Devgarh, Mathura of Jains were built and created as well as a number of Jain temples renovated. Jain ascetics used to wander freely from Bengal to Punjab. Pūjyapāda, Devardhigani, Haribhadra are important Jain pontiffs of this period with Jain cult strongly bifurcated in two with further divisions in each sect also. Gopācala in Gwalior and a number of places like Draunagiri, Ahāra, Kundalpura, and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh saw emergence of Jain centers and Jain temples in large numbers. It appears Bundelkhand became active Jain areas with royal patronage extended.
In southern India, dynasties like Kadamba, Cālukya, Colās, Hoyesalas, Ganga and Rāştrakūța etc. Karnataka, due to the arrival of Bhadrabāhu at Shravanabelgola during 3rd century BC became the centre of Jain philosophy. In Tamil Nadu we find dynasties like Pandya Cola and Pallavas who were very favourably inclined to Jainism. They made Madurai (called Mathurā of the south) as the Jain center. Magnificent images like Gomatteśvara at Shravanabelgola and other places were erected in Karnataka. Area adjoining Maharashtra and Karnataka even today has the largest Jain community and temples. In fact Kannada and Mahārāstrī became the languages of Jain canons during this period. We see emergence of a number of Jain logicians like Akalanka, Māņikyanandi, Hemacandra and Yaśovijayji writing a number of important Jain texts during this period
Jainism started prospering in South India, Rajasthan and Gujarat and in north around Mathura. Ācārya Ratnaprabha Sūri came to Osia in Rajasthan in first century AD and converted 125,000 people to Jainism (known as Oswals, one of the richest Jain communities in Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat). Similarly Jainism started gaining royal patronage in south (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka primarily), certain parts of Maharashtra (Sholapur-Belgaum area), Gujarat (Vallabhi, Ahmedabad), Central India (Malwa, Bundelkhand) and north (Mathura). Other Indian philosophers started criticizing Jain philosophy vehemently. Jain monks started writing scriptures (from 2nd century BC to 6th century AD). Śivārya, Bhūtabali and Püspadanta, Kundakunda, Umāsvāti and Samantabhadra all in south during 2nd - 3rd century AD etc. wrote logical and spiritual Jain texts considered almost as canons by Digambara Jains. Skandila started and then Devardhigani (2nd and 3rd councils in Mathura
STUDY NOTES version 5.0
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