Jain Inscriptions of Rajasthan

Author(s): Ramvallabh Somani
Publisher: Rajasthan Prakrit Bharti Sansthan Jaipur

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Shvetambar Jain. He was contemporary to Someshvar and Prithviraj Chauhan III and Johiya Sinhabal. The Abu inscription14 of V.E. 1245 (1188 A.D.) of Vimal-Vasati speaks of a Dharkat Shvetamber Jain family living in Abu (Arbuda-Vastavya- Dharkat Vamsha-Udbhava). Another inscription of the same year refers to Yashovir-Mantri of Jalore15, a Dharkat of great fame. The LunigVasati-inscription of V.E. 1288 (1231 A,D,) speaks of a Shvetambar Jain Dharkat family living at Gundoch (Distt. Pali). (GundaUcha-Mahasthan-Vastavya-Dharkat-Vamshiya). Though presently this caste has been completely assimilated in other castes, a large
us of inscriptions issued by them testifies to their independent status and power during earlier times.
Khandelwals :
The Khandelwal caste of Jains is more popularly known as Sarawagis. As among Agrawals, there are both Jains and Vaishnavas among them; the Jains being Digambars. It is believed that this caste was created by the Jain teacher Jinsenacharya, who visited Khandela and succeeded in converting many to his faith. Khandela was a very prosperous city during the reign of Pratihar kings. Like other Jain castes, this caste also seems to have come into existence after the 8th century AD. No epigraph connected with them dates before the 10th century A.D. The earliest known inscriptions where we find a mention of Khandelwals are the Shergarh16 inscription of V.E. 1162 (1105 A.D.), and the Jain temple inscription of Sanganer dated V. E. 1230 (1173 A. D.). Shergarh is quite distant from Khandela. It must have taken some time by Khandelwals to move from the original home to that place. The birth of caste thus can be reasonably dated between 8th and 10th centuries A.D. This caste is known today to have eighty four gotras; out of which nearly forty find mention in medieval inscriptions.
14. Abu Il No. 55, 57, 125, 150. 15. ibid No. 251 and 277. 16. E. I. Vol. XXXI p. 89/The inscriptions of Sanganer were edited in Vira
Vani Jaipur.