Jaina Granth Bhandars in Rajasthan

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

Page 63

Jaina Grantha Bhandars in Rajasthan.
[43
There more than 50 Bhandārs in the area of Jaipur, Tonk, Alwar and Bharatpur. Those in the Jaipur State are very important e.g., Mālpurā. Todārārsingh, Mozmābād, Dausā, Āmer, Sängāner, Cätsu, Baswă etc.
But at present there are no Bhandārs in Amer, Sangāner and Catsu as they were shifted to the Jaipur City long ago.
We shall now give a short description of Grantha Bhandārs of this area.
GRANTHA BHANDĀRS OF JAIPUR CITY
Jaipur City was founded by Räjä Sawai Jaisingh in Samvat 1784, (1727 AD) and the capital was shifted here from Amer, six miles from Jaipur. The Mahārājā made it a centre of literature and Art He established a Pothi Khánī which contains the valuable manuscripts on several subjects brought from several places of India Māhārājā Pratap Singh was himself a scholar who wrote several works He wrote SANGEET SARA' of which a manuscript is preserved in the Grantha Bhandār of the Jaina temple of Teräpanthis Jaipur,
When the Jainas shifted from Āmer, Sāngāner and other places they broght with them the manuscripts from these places and placed them in the various temples of Jaipur
In the last two centuries there were several scholars who contributed to literature greatly Some of the most prominent scholars were Daulat Rām Kāslīwāl (18th Century), Todar Mal (18th Century), Gumāni Ráma (18th and 19th Century)
Tek Cand (18th Century), Deep Cand Kāsliwal (18th Century), Jai Cand Chăbrā (19th Century), Dalu Rām (19th Century), Mannā Lal Pātnī (19th Century), Kesari Singh (19th Century), Nem: Canda Pātni (19th Century), Nand Lāl Chābrā (19th Century), Swaroop Cand Bilālā (19th Century) Saçãsukh Kasliwal (19th Century) Baba Duli Cand Päras Dās Negotā (19th Century) Jait Ram (191h Century) Pannā Lal Chaudhary (19th Century). These scholars enriched the treasure of Hindi & Saṁskrit literature They wrote original works and also translated into Hindi works of Samskrit & Prākrit in order to propogate the reading of Hindı. They also cstablished new Bhandārs. At present there are 20 Grantha Bhandārs in the Jaipur City which possess more than 15 thousands manusculpts.
Apart from these scholars there had been several copyists who used to copy out the manuscripts on the request of the srāvakas, countless manuscripts were copied in this City and they were placed not only in the City libraries butin several maunscript libraries of Rajasthan and outside Rājasthan Thus the Jaipur city was a radiating centre of literary activities in the past