Jain Thought and Culture

Author(s): G C Pandey
Publisher: University of Rajasthan

Page 94

84
Jain Thought and Culture
tory to this place were known as Gurjar-Gaudas The Shrimals34 were the neighbours of Oswals They were an endogamous unit and did not inter marry with the Oswals but their social life was akin to that of the latter Shrishrimals 35
They used double Shr136 before their names As they were counted among the original 18 sub-clan of the Oswal s37. We are of the opinion that they were those Oswals who migrated from Upahesa pera (Osian) territory to Shrimala territory There connection with the Oswals would be evident from the fact that they intermarried with them and like them believed in the Svetambara secl of Jainism Their social life was akin to that of the Oswals One custom was particular to them that in the marriage the bridegroom put gold rings in the fingures of the bride Bagherawals :38
They traced their origin from Vyaghrasena, the Rajpul ruler of Baghera but the habitat Baghera itself would enough to trace their appellation hence we consider them Mahajanas of Baghera The community was divided between those who had faith in Jainism and those who had faith in Vaishnavism
Besides these there were minor groups of Jains known aster the territories from which they hailed eg Palliwals, Mewaras, Modhs etc about whom not much is known Among the Agarwals (known after Agroha in Hariyana) and Maheshwaris (Didu-known after Didwana in Nagour district) a few adopted Jainism but inspite of it Agarwals and Maheshwaris remained endogamous units and change of religion did not break the 'community into two. Thus we are of the opinion that in the evolution of social compactness territory was more important than the religion, that the religious belief changed the outlook of the Jain Mahajanas to certain extent, and that they emphasized more on action (Karma) than the ritual, hnowledge and devotion Thus they on one side avoided actions leading the destru
34 Report Mardumshumari, op cit, p 430 35 Ibid , p 430 36 Ibid and PC Jain, Jaina Lekha Sangraha, Vol, I, inscriptions Nos 119, 292, 664 and 666 37 Report of Mardumshumarı, op cit, p 407 38 Ibid, p 431