Jainism in India

Author(s): Ganesh Lalwani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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JAINISM IN INDIA
by the Pratihara kings of Kanauj, who ruled there till its fall to the Pathan ruler Iltutmish in V.S. 1249. On the eve of Timur's invasion of India, one Virsimha of the Tomara dynasty captured Gwalior in V.S. 1455 and his decendants continued to rule there till V.S. 1593. All of them were great patrons of Jaina religion, Jaina culture and Jaina monks and this religion therefore had its golden age in this region during their reigns. The kings were greatly influenced by the learned Bhattarakas. During the reign of king Vikramsimha (Viramdeva) Seth Kushraj of the Jaiswal dynasty was his minister. He was a follower of the Jaina faith and a devoted śrāvaka. It was at his inspiration and under the order of Bhattaraka Gunakirti that Padmanabha Kayastha who himself was a Jaina devotee had composed Yasodharacarita.
A look at the Jaina archaeological remains and the literary works of the Jaina savants and Bhattarakas of the period would reveal the dominance of the Jaina religion in this region of which Gwalior was the centre. There were 36 tribes living here but their relation was based on toleration. Many Jainas held high official positions. Particularly illustrious were the reigns of kings Dungar Simha and Kirti Simha when for 33 years Jaina images were carved inside the fort. The father and son were equally enthusiastic in the matter and we have received the largest number of images, inscriptions and literary works from their reign. There was also much construction by private enterprise. We have it that one Padma Simha who got erected many a Jaina temple and installed many a Jaina image was so inspired by devotion to the faith that he got prepared one lakh copies of sacred literature and distributed them to the monks and the shrines (bhandāras). We know this from the preamble to the Adipurāna prepared in V.S. 1521. This sort of activity must have influenced the social behaviour of the Jainas of which we have a nice description in Pārsvapurāņa by Kavi Raidhu. Many of the nude images of the Jaina Tirthankaras were destroyed at the later period when the Gwalior fort was conquered by the Muslims and much useful historical material was thus wiped out of existence.
But despite these acts of vandalism, Jaina images can still be seen at many places in the fort. Even the fort itself is a treasure of art. On both sides of the road that connects the fort with the city there are some Jaina images on vast slabs. A Jaina temple between the Elephant Gate and Sas-bahu temple which had been turned into a mosque during the Mughal reign has on excavation yielded in the basement a nude Jaina image and an inscription dated V.S. 1165. These images
are either in padmāsana or in kāyotsarga postures. On a northern