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of consistently chronological histories of the Jain monks, authors and their monk-orders. The question of identification of our author and his preceptors should therefore remain open till the Pattavalis of the Bșhadgaccha as well as of all its sob-gacchas, and the lists of so far unlisted manuscripts in various Jaina Bhaņdāras are fully published.
Moreover, the epigraphs ranging from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries of the Vikrama Era refering to the Brhad-gaccba are found more in Rajputana, Sirpur, Gwaliar, Luknow, and Patnas2 than in Gujarat, which indicates that the gaccha flourished more in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar than in Gujarat. That is wby we do not find any record of the tradition mentioned by the author of the MRA for the present in Gujarat at least.
The only definite information given by Jinabhadrasūri, the author of the MRA, is about the circumstances which motivated him to undertake the composition of his literary piece. He has given some information about a person named Laksa (probably a Sanskritized version of original name Lākkho or Lākba in the then prevalent popular tongue) belonging to the Dharkata (Dhakkada in popular speech) family. This name denotes a group of families comprising a sub-caste within the bigger Bania caste, and is recorded by the name 'Dhakda' in the list of eighty-four sub-castes of Śrımāli Bania caste quoted by Shri Manilal Bakorbhai Vyas in bis work dealing with the sub-castes of that caste.88 We know of atleast three notable persons belonging to this sub-caste, viz., Dhanapala the author of the Bhavisayattakabā (10th century),84 Āśāpāla whose wife Suşāmiņi got a manuscript of Hemacandra's Anekārtha-samgraha copied in V. Sam. 1282,85 and Gaņiaka whose daughter and nun Nirmalamati got a manuscript of Yogašāstra copied for Padmadevasūri in V. Sam. 1292.86 This sub-caste, along with others like Ukeśa, Pallivala, Prāgvāta, and śrīmala, has been very prominent since the 10th century in patronizing Jaina religious literature and in financing the copying work of their favourite Jaina monks.
As has been mentioned by the author of MRA, Laksa of the Dharkkața family had three sons, of which the younger one was named Cacca, the middle one Gangadhara, and the eldest one Bilhana. This last one, Bilbana, seems to have been a favourite of Jinabhadrasuri due to his utmost devoutness as exhibited in his interest in financing the ceremonies
82, HJM, p. 522. 83. Cf. SJB, pp. 232-236. 84. BK, Intro, pp. 2-4. 85.JPPS, p. 10. 86. Ibid., pp. 27-28. .
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