Jaina Granth Bhandars in Rajasthan

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

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Jaina Grantha Bhandars in Rajasthan.'
(24) ŚĀSTRA BHANDĀR OF FATEHPUR (SHEKHĀWĀTI)
Fatehpur is a beautiful city in Sikar District of Rajasthān. It is now a Railway station on the Sikar-Cūru Branch of the Western Railway. Fatehpur remained the literary seat of Jainas From the very beginning Jainas played an important role in the development of literature. The Agarwala Jaina temple of Fatehpur was the centre of Bhattārakas who used to visit this place from time to time and took initiative in the management of the temples. These Bhattărakas used to collect the manuscripts and placed them in the Bhandars. There is a collection of about 400 manuscripts at present in the Bhandar. These manuscripts are of later centuries .e 18th and 19th century. Most of the manuscripts were either written here or got written from else where and presented to this Bhandar by the lainas of this city In this respect Pandit Jiwan Rām's contribution is marvellous. He wrote a Gutakā which contains the matter of at least one lakh slokas. Except this, Triloka Sára Bhāṣā (1746 A.D) Harivansa Purana (1767 A. D). Mahavira Purana (1353 AD), Samayasar Nățak (1836 A.D) Gyanārnava of Subha Candra (1831 A. D.) and several others were copied here and are preserved in this Bhandar.
The Gutakā as stated above is th biggest Guțakä, in material ever found any of the Bhandars. It mainly deals with Ayurveda and Jhotisa. It contains 1228 pages. This was written in Cūru by Sir Jiwan Rāma from the year 1838 to 1860 AD. and was completed in Fatehpur City in the year 1860 A.D.
There is another manuscript Namokāra Mahatmya kathā, which contains 689 pages of size 13" x 7". The manuscript was got written by Hirālāl Sohanlal, Delhi and presented to this Grantha Bhandār in the year 1922 AD. It is fully illustrated and contains 76 illustrations on the various happenings in the life of the great persons of Jaina Mythology,
JAINA SASTRA BHANDĀRS-DAUSĀ
Dausã was an old capital of Kachhāwā Rājputs and one of the most ancient cities of Rājasthan. It was famous by the name Devagiri. But now a days it is a good town on Jaipur-Bharatpur Road There are two Jaina temples and both the temples have Šāstra Bhandars in them.
(25). SĀSTRA BHANDĀR OF BISPANTHI MANDIR
There is an inscription at the back side of the main Vedi according to which this temple was constructed in Samvat 1701 (1644 A.D.) but as per oldness of the city and the temple itself. It seems that in that year it was reconstructed, The Šāstra Bhandār of this temple is a small one. It contains only 177 manuscripts