Jainism in India

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

Page 86

JAINISM IN INDIA
got prepared massive brass images at Dungarpur and installed them in the Jaina temples at Mt. Abu. He reconstructed the Parsvanatha temple at Giripura.
Jainism had profound influence in the kingdom of Pratapgarh. Many images of the 14th and 15th centuries have been recovered from here. An inscription of 1715 A.D. found at Deoli indicates that even the oil-grinders of this kingdom agreed to suspend their work for 44 days in a year on the prayer of the two merchants Saraiya and Jivaraja to king Prthvi Simha. The Mallinatha temple was erected during the reign of this king.
Jainism in Kotah-Jainism prevailed in Kotah from very early times. Padmanandi had written his Jambūdvipapannati at Bara approximately during the 8th century A.D. According to this work, Bara had many Jaina temples and families. The king's name was Sakti or Santi. In the 8th and 9th centuries, the Bhattarakas had their gaddis here. In the 19th century three massive images were installed by the Rajput chiefs at Sergarh. Their inscriptions indicate that the earlier name of Shergarh was Kosavardhana. There are Jaina caves of the 8th and 9th centuries in the hills of Ramgarh. Formerly this place was known as Srinagara. Many Jaina monks lived in the caves. At Atru there are two very artistic temples of the 12th and 13th centuries. Near Atru there is a place named Krasnavilasa and there are many Jaina temples here constructed between 8th and 11th centuries.
In 1689 a rich merchant named Krsnadasa erected a temple to Mahavira at Chandkhedi, and installed thousands of images. The reigning monarch at Kotah at this time was Kishore Simha.
Jainism in Siroh - Jainism had a flourishing existence at Sirobi. The Kalandari inscription of 1332 A.D. states that some members of the local śramaņa sangha courted death through samādhi. Many temples were erected during the reign of Sohaja, Durjanasala, Udaya Simha and several other kings. On his way to Akbar's court at Fatehpur Sikri, Hirvijaya Suri made a halt at Sirohi. He was received by king Surtana Simha (?) who gave up hunting, meat and wine and took the vow to have a single wife. He even remitted taxes to relieve his people.
Jainism in Jaisalmir—The Bhatti Rajputs extended patronage to Jainism. In the beginning Lodrava was the capital of Jaisalmir. In the 10th century A.D. king Sagara got two sons named Sridhara and
Rajadhara by the grace of Jinesvara Suri. These erected the Parsvanatha