Jaina Granth Bhandars in Rajasthan

Author(s): Kasturchand Kasliwal
Publisher: Digambar Jain Atishay Kshetra Mandir

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Jaina Grantha Bhandars in India.
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Śrī Vijay Vallabh Süri. He also took great interest in preparing the list of the manuscripts. Dr. Peterson also saw this Bhandar and prepared a list of the manuscripts in the year 1882-83. But after some time the collection was again in disorder and some rare manuscript were made incomplete and in torn condition. The Bhandar possesses so many manuscripts which are rare and still unpublished. Most of the manuscripts were written in 12th to 16th century.
SOUTH INDIAN BHANDĀRS
South Iudia always remained the centre of literature, not only of Samskrit but Tamil, Telgu, Kannar and Malyanılam also. From time of Bhadrabahu, when he went to south with his 1200. disciples, South India also became the main land of Jainism The rulers of Ganga, Rastrakūt, Caulukya, Vijaynagar etc. were the lovers of Jainism. They gave shelter to the learned persons and induced them to write or compose works on various subjects. Poets like Pump, Ranna, Nagcandra and Jamma of Kannar literature will be remembered for ever.
There are several Grantha Bhandars in the State of Madras, Andhra, Kerala and Mysore. The script of the mauuscripts is of Kannad, Tamil, Telgu and Malayalam and also Samskrit and Präkit. Some of the famous Bhandars are as follows -
(x) SASTRA BHANDAR JAINA MATHA MÜDBIDRI
Mud Bidri is the ancient Jaina Tirth in the South Kanāra of Madras State. The Matha was established in about 10th or 11th century. There is a good Grantha Bhandar Now at present there are 2555 manuscripts written in Kannad and Samskrit, on the palm leaves.
Most of the manuscripts are of the 15th to 18th century. One of the peculiarities is that in the colophons of the manuscripts instead of Vikram era Sak Samvat was used. This shows that in South India Sak Samvat was more frequent and popular in the public than the Vikram era The catalogue of the Grantha Bhandar has already been published from Bhartiya Jnana Pitha Käshi'
(x1) VIRA BĀNI BILĀS JAINA SIDHANTA BHAWAN MÜD BIDRI
This Bhawan was estaqlished in the year 1933. The founder of this Bhandar called Saraswati Bhūśana was Śri Loka Natha Śāstri The collection
1. Kannad Prantiya Tāḍapatriya Grantha Suci by Pandit K. B Sastri published by Bhartiya Jnana Pitha Kashi 1948
2 Ibid