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Importance of the Jain Grantha Bhandars.
I 209
The manuscript of Yasodhara Carita of Parsvanatha Jaina temple of Jaipur is also fully illustrated. The date of writing the manuscript is not given but as the manuscript was copied for Pandit Todarmal who was a great scholar of 18th century, so it can be said that the date of manuscript is the 18th century. There are 55 illustrations in the manuscript, some of them are on full sheet while the others are on half sheet.
The dresses of the men are turbans of Moghul style having 'Kilang' in it, with earings and necklaces in the ears and necks respectively. In the body they have 'angarkhi' some time chequered and some times plain coloured only. The angarkhi is encircle by a small Dupațță tied in the waist.
The women are dressed with a thin sari of various types such as chequered and coloured of transparent nature. They have put on a Choli and Lehanga. Their ornaments are earings, nose rings, necklaces and bangles etc.
There are two manuscripts of Yasodhara Carita fully illustrated in Mozmabāda Sastra Bhandar. Both are in Apabhramsa language written by Kavi Puspadanta and Raidhu. Out of two manuscripts one is incomplete. The paintings used in these manuscripts are similar to those of Adipurana. All the paintings are very beautiful and represent pre-Moghul art. The colour used in them is of such a permanent nature that they look as if they are painted today.
A fully illustrated manuscript of Adityavāra Katha of Bhau Kavi written in Hindi exists in the Jaina Sastra Bhandar of Ajmer. This is the first illustrated manuscript which is based on a story written in Hindi. The manuscript is of 18th century and contains more than 25 illustrations All the paintings are duly influenced by art of the post-Moghul period
The Bhaktamar Stotra preserved in the Jaina temple of Terapanthi is an illustrated manuscript written in the year 1826 A D. It contains 48 paintings. Though the art used in these paintings is of later century, the colour and drawings are full of life. All the paintings are fully based on the text whatever is written in a particular stanza has been fully explained in the paintings. Even without reading of the original stanzas. the sense depicted in the paintings can be understood easily.
The another Bhaktamar Stotra is in the Sastra Bhandar of Bharatpur. It was written and painted in Bharatpur 23 years earlier. The paintings, designs and manuscript in the Jaina temple Terǎwritten and then copy of illustrated
colours are similar to those preserved in the panthi. It appears that this manuscript was first manuscript of Bhaktamar Stotra of Jaipur was made later on.
