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The Value and Heritage of Jain Religion hierarchical scale of anu-vratas, maha-vratas, etc. On the side of reflection or Vichara, it is Jainism which has stressed right from its very beginning tattvachintana. It is due to this insistence on tattvachintana in Jainism that we find that it is the Jains who have been almost the sole originators in literary compositions in most of Indian languages. Jainism has contributed ably and subtly to very many chapters in the history of Indian philosophy.
The contribution of Jainism to Indian thought and life has been very significant. Actually vegetarianism as a habit prevailing throughout the Indian continent, atleast in states like Gujarat and Rajasthan, is an evidence of the Jain influence. Indian literature, sculpture, architecture and painting as also every other aspect of life have been significantly influenced by Jainism. To do justice to all these will require a separate book. Here it is sufficiant to say that almost every student of Indian culture or visitor to the Indian subcontinent has been considerably impressed by the sculpture and the arts of Jain temples, Jain paintings and the "inexhaustible stock of Jain literature".
The Jains played a very important part, first in the development of the ancient Prakrit language, as also of the Dravidian languages of the South, Tamil and Kannad. Somewhat later they adopted Sanskrit to elucidate the contents of the original prakrit canon and gradually produced a vast Sanskrit literature comprising valuable works on almost all subjects : philosophy, logic, grammar, laxicography, poetics, politics, mathematics, astronomy and astrology. Indian literature in all its branches is thus indebted to the achievements of Jain authors.
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