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FOREWORD
Jainism represents a fully developed, very comprehensive and one of the oldest living religious and cultural systems indigenous to India. It possesses a vast and varied literature of its own, most of the early and basic works being composed in the Prakrit language; supplemented by those in Sanskrit and Apabhramsha. Thanks to the patient and painstaking work done by a number of eminent orientalists, both Indian and Western, during the past two hundred years or so, Jainology has now come to be recognised as a distinct, rich and important branch of Indology or oriental studies. In the Indian, as also in several foreign universities, dozens of scholars have done research work or undertaken specialised studies in various aspects of the Jaina religion, philosophy, culture, tradition, history, art and literature, during the past several decades, and the number is daily on the increase. If no more in its infancy, Jainology is still in its adolescence; there is yet immense scope and new vistas open to those who delve deeper in any of its branches.
Most of the available ancient works, written in different languages have been published. Many of these are well-edited, are often accompanied by vernacular or English translations and commentaries, useful appendices and indices, and usually carry a learned and critical introduction. But all the manuscripts preserved in the numerous Jaina Shastra Bhandars, which are scattered over the country, have not been exhausted, and of the published ones many are such as need be produced in revised, improved and standard editions by specialists in the subjects concerned. The number of independent modern treatises and dissertations is also not small, but some aspects or branches still remain unrepresented or poorly represented.
In order to facilitate the work of the students and researchers of Jainology, what are most needed are the suitable, authentic and up-to-date reference books of different categories, such as, reports of manuscript libraries, catalogues of manuscripts and of published books, comprehensive index of authors and works, classified histories of literature, bibliographies, well-edited collections of Pattavalis (pontifical genealogies), colophons, other historical documents and inscriptions, reports of the survey of Jaina archaeological sites and cultural and pilgrim centres, regionwise and periodwise catalogues of Jaina antiquities, art and architecture, directories, geographical and biographical dictionaries, index of verses of the ancient texts, topical dictionaries, dictionaries of technical terms and a good encyclopaedia Jainica.
Considerable work has been already done in this sphere and we do not now suffer from a lack of reference books, one or more of which are available in all but a few of the categories hinted above. But not all of these books are complete, com
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