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Satya Ranjan Banerjee : Jain Society inthe ReignofJain Kings
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the Jaina sādhus and used to listen to them, and at times, after listening to them, a group of people became the followers of the Jain tenets.
In the Age of Imperial Kanauj (8th - 1000 A.D.) Jainism lacked royal patronage in northern India, but it enjoyed extensive royal support in the South. But in the north its popularity was compensated by the trading classes. But in the Deccan this is the most flourishing period in the history of Jainism. A. S. Altekar' surmises, “Probably one-third of the propulation of the Deccan was following the gospel
ahāvīra during the period under review. Jainism received a serious set back shortly afterwards owing to rapid spread of the lingāyata
sect."
In the 12th century A.D. in the history of Gujarat, Kumārapāla? occupied a unique position. After Jayasimha (1094 - 1142 A.D.), Kumārapāla (1142 - 1173 A.D.) became the king of Gujarat and was initiated into Jainism in 1159 A.D. by Hemacandra (1088 - 1172 A.D.). After ascending the throne Kumārapāla made the Jaina religion a state religion in his country. The king himself abandoned hunting, and prohibited the killing of animals, eating meat, drinking, gambling and animal combat.
Apart from the fact that Kumārapāla made the Jain religion a state religion, we do not know what he did as a social reformer. But from the works of Hemacandra counterchecked by contemporary evidence, we can build the edifice of sociology to some extent at the time of Kumārapāla. From Hemacandra's Kumārapālacarita we can say that society looked like a feudal organisation with the king at its head. The other officials are to be considered next in rank to the king. The officials used to enjoy some special honours and privileges. From Hemacandra's description, we can infer that there was a difference in the standard of living between the common people and the privileged officials. “The rich people because of their abundant wealth, indulged in luxury. The food and dress of the wealthy people were rich and gaudy. The rich people lived in highly decorated palatial buildings and probably amused themselves with
1. Rāșțrakuțas and Their Times, Poona, 1934. 2. S.R. Banerjee, Prolegomena to Prakritica et Jainica, pp. 176 ff.
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