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Gachchhas, Castes and Gotras among Jainas. There are legendary accounts about their origin. All these have been critically examined in the light of the data discovered from several inscriptions and Praśastis. The fourth Chapter is related to Jaina Art. Certain peculiar features of the Jaina art have been discussed in this Chapter. The fifth Chapter deals with Jaina literature composed in Rajasthan. The sixth Chapter gives a brief description of the Sāstrabhaņdāras with special reference to the important and rare manuscripts. The seventh Chapter is concerned with Jaina monks and statesmen, who contributed to the progress of Jainism. In conclusion, the contributions of Jainism to Rajasthan in different spheres have been discussed.
In the preparation of this volume, I am under a deep debt of gratitude to my supervisor Dr. M. L. SHARMA, whose constant guidance has greatly contributed to its early completion. To my examiners Dr. A. S. ALTEKAR and Dr. Nilakantha SASTRI, I am indebted for many valuable suggestions. I also express my profound respects to Pt. CHAIN SUKHDASJI, Principal, Jain Sanskrit College, Jaipur, without whose help this work could not have been completed. My thanks are also due to Shri Agar Chandji NAHATA of Bikaner, who readily offered many valuable suggestions on this work.
The author is deeply indebted to Dr. H. L. JAIN and Dr. A. N. UPADHYE, the General Editors of the Jīvarāja Granthamālā, for undertaking the publication of this work. Dr. UPADHYE went through the press copy and corrected the proofs more than once, in spite of his multifarious and pressing duties. I am also grateful to the Trustees of the Jīvarāja Granthamālā for their interest in publishing this volume. I am highly obliged to my teacherMr. M. L. GUPTA, Head Master, Mahavir Jain High School, Jaipur and to my friend Mr. K. S. RAJORA, Lecturer in Political Science, Govt. College, Ajmer, for going through my manuscript.
The system of transliteration adopted by me is the same as found in Archaeological Reports. But I have followed the ordinary spelling of proper names, and diacritical marks have been sometimes omitted in case of the place names. The author more than any body else is conscious of many defects and blemishes, specially typographical, which have crept into the book. For these, he craves the indulgence of the readers.
Alwar 25th Nov. 1962
KAILASH CHAND JAIN.
