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JAINISM IN INDIA
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erected by Vastupala. With the exception of a few minor details Arisimha's list agrees with those of the Vastupāla-Tejahpāla-Prasasti and Sukstakirtikallolini. From all these sources it becomes evident that Vastupala and Tejahpala spread their building activities over the following places : Anahilapataka, Stambhatirtha (Cambay), Dhavalakka (Dholka), Satrunjaya Padaliptapura (Palitana), Arkapalitagrama (Ankavaliya), Stambhana (Skamna), Ujjayanta (Girnar), Darbhavati (Dabhoi) and Arbuda (Abu.) We have already stated that the Girnar inscriptions speak of one crore new temples built by the two brothers and that the Prabandhas mention that three hundred crores were spent on constructing these temples and other public buildings. Both the figures appear to be equally fantastic and might have been recorded due to predilection for gross flattery on the part of Somesvara who was responsible for drafting three of the six Girnar inscriptions. Regarding the amount spent by the two brothers, it should be noted that none of their contemporaries give the cost of the temples. However, the list of temples and other public works built and undertaken by Vastupala and Tejahpala as described in the literary sources mentioned above are quite modest, and taking into consideration the various problems which the builders of the temples on Mt. Abu had to overcome, the number of temples which their contemporary authors credit them with having built or the tanks etc., which they are said to have excavated by them do not seem to be exaggerations. It is later writers like Harsha Gani who give exaggerated figures.
After the death of Vastupala and Tejahpala no great historical names came to be associated with Jainism. One of the reasons is undoubtedly that public works on similar scale were not undertaken by any one else ; the other reason is the paucity of literature. Vastupala was not only a great builder, he was a great patron of literature and possessed considerable literary gifts. Hence a large number of his biographies were written by his contemporaries, which in their turn provided inspiration for the later writers. However, by the time Vastupala and Tejahpala died, Jainism had taken sufficiently deep roots in Gujarat and southern Rajputana to exist as strong religious force even up to the present day.
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