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The Shatrunjaya Dispute
૨૩૯ somewhere in the 13th Century. But agency. This tax was Rs. 5 a year they removed themselves to Palitana from subjects of Palitana State, only at a much later date.
and Rs. 2/- per head from every In the year 1651, the Jains ente foreign pilgrim. red into a contract with the ances. But such $ tax leads to very tors of the present Durbar, whereby great inconvenience to the pilgrims. the latter guaranteed protection to Therefore the Jain Community sub. the pilgrims coming to the hill, and mitted a Rejoinder, showing that the the Jains in return agreed to make payment hitherto made had been in some money payment.
the nature of a contractual obligation Contractual relations of this sort under agreement accepted by both were continued during centuries. parties.
After the establishment of the The Contest was put before the Kathiawad Political Agency, a new Hon'ble Mr. C. C. Watson, Agent agreement was signed in December to the Governor General for States 1821, according to which the Durbar in Western India. The Honourable was to receive from the Jain Comm- has decided, by an Order dated unity an annual sum of Rs. 4500/- 12th July 1926, that the Durbar of for the protection guarranteed. And Palitana is entitled to one Lac of this agreement was acted upon for
Rs. i. e. 100000/- Rs. a year, and nearly 40 years.
for a period of ten yeare, from the In 1863, after a new enquiry
Jain Community, in commutation the Government of Bombay fixed the
of his right to levy the pilgrim tax. annual payment at Rs. 15000/- per This amount which represents an annum, and the agreement was increase of nearly 700 per 100, will consented for 40 years. But as an generally be regarded as an exorbi
sential feature it was established. tant one. For it is in excess of what that, in the event of any modifica- is required to guarrantee protection tion of this sum becoming necessary of the pilgrims. Moreover the northe British Government was to be mal revenue of the State being the supreme deciding authority. about seven lakhs of Rs. the addiThat Agreement of 1886 expired
tion of one lack signifies a substanon 1st April 1926. Then a new
tial gain to the State but also a sort claim of the Palitana Durbar was to
of spoliation of the Jain Community. allow it to levy a pilgrim tax which Therefore the Special Session of would be collected through its own the Jain Swetamber Conferance has
