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(the Chittor group) associated with Balatkargana visited ShravanaBelagola in 1075 A. D. The Surasthagana, which had its source in Deccan, also included many Jain monks of Chitrakuta-Amnaya. Evidently, Chittor, which was an important centre of Jainism had cultural relations with Deccan. The southern Jain monks indeed, of Balatkaragana, visited the place from time to time. From Rajasthan, we have some inscriptions, colophons, and other data pertaining to branches of the Balatkaragana namely (i) Delhi Jaipur branch (ii) Nagaur branch (iii) Idar branch and (v) Bhanpur branch.
According to the Pattavali, Vasant kirti was the first historical Jain Acharya, whose disciples spread into northern India. Shrutasagar,2 in his commentary on Shatu-Prabhrita, (16th century A.D) reports that Vasant kirti, encouraged Digambar Jain monks living at Mandap-durga to wear clothes, in order to save themselves from the widespread and anti-religious activities of the Mlechchhas. Vasant kirti lived in the beginning of the 13th century A.D., when Mandap durga was under the Paramars, who were favourable to Jains. Therefore, much reliance cannot be placed on this literary report. However, it is beyond doubt that Vasant kirti and his followers propogated new ideas and therefore Vasant kirti has been termed as a progenitor of the Jain Bhattarakas (monk preceptors) of the northern Indian Balatkaragana. The Bijoliya inscription3 of V.E. 1483 (1427 A.D.) names the Jain monks as : Vasant kirti, Visal kirti, Subh kirti, Dharama. chandra, Ratna kirti, Prabhachandra, and Padmanandi. Their sates can not be determined correctly as the main literary sources concerning them, the Gurvavali, Pattavali etc, antedate them. But on the basis of epigraphical and other literary sources, we may arrive at the following dates.
1. Devasena in his Darshan-sar (V. E. 990) criticised the religious activities
of the Kastha-and Dravid Sanghas. This shows that difference of opinion
existed between these units. 2. Shrutasagar-Shata-Prabhrita (commentary) p, 21. 3. PRASWC 1905-6 p. 58.
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