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Importance of the Jain Granth Bhandais.
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प्रथममधिकरणमष्टादशोऽध्याय : ॥छ॥ शुभमस्तु । लेखकपाठकयोः । मगलमहाश्री ॥छ।। ॥छ।। संवत् १२१६ फाल्गुन वदि सोमदिने ॥ ॥छ।।
Palm leaf manuscript of Alankara Sara Sangraha also called Udbhatalankara of Udbhata who flourished in the Court of King Jayapala of Kashmir is available in the Jaisalmer Bhandar. It is with the commentary of Pratihärendra Raja. The manuscript belongs to the year 1107 A.D.
Vyakti Viveka Kavyalankára of Rajānak Mahim in Sarakrit is preserved in in the Jaisalmer Bhandar. The manuscript is on Palm leaves and is of the 13th Century.
All the Kävyas written by the poets like Kalidasa, Magha, Bharvi, Harsa, Halayudha, Bhatti etc., are available in the Granth Bhandārs of Amer, Nå gaur, Jaisalmer and Bikāner. The copies of manuscripts of each such Kavyas are more than one and in some of the Bhandārs they reach even 20.
There is a manuscript of Raghuvansa of Kalidasa written on palm leaves of the 14th Century in the Grantha Bhandar of Jaisalmer. Manuscripts of commentaries written by Gunaratan Sûri, Caritra Vardhana and Mallınātha, Samayasundar, Dharma Meru and Santi Vijay (1610 A D.) are also in the collection of the Bhandars of Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Jaipur and Nägăur. Raghuvanşa and Kumărsambhava, of Kalidasa are also popular among the Jainas. In every Bhandar we find one or two manuscripts of them. There are 13 manuscripts of Raghuvansa in the Grantha Bhandar of Digambara Jaina Teråpanthi Mandır, Jaipur. All the manuscripts of Meghadūta with the commentary of Mallinātha are available in the collection of Abhaya Granthälāya, Bikaner.
The manuscript of Naisådha Carita of Harsa Kavi written in the year 1321 A. D. on palm leaves is preserved in the collection of Jaisalmer Bhandar. In the same way manuscripts of other Kavyas such as Bhatti-Kavya, Kavi-Rahasya of Halāyudha with the commentary of Ravidharma and Anargha Rāghava of Murari are available in the collection of Jaisalmer Grantha Bhandars.
Commentary written by Prakaśavarşa on Kiratarjuniya of Bhärvi is a rare manuscript. Prakasa Varşa wrote that he was a son of Harsa of Kasmır. One manuscript of this is in the Jaisalmer Sastra Bhandar. The manuscript of Jaipur Bhandar is beautiful and correct one.
There are six manuscripts of Siśupălavadha of Mägha in the Grantha Bhandar of Terapanthi Mandir Jaipur and one of the manuscript is of the year 1438 A.D. Even earlier manuscript of the same Kavya exists in the Grantha Bhandar of Jaisalmer.
