Makaranda Madhukar Anand Mahendale Festshrift

Author(s): M A Dhaky, Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre

Page 257

246
B. V. Shetti
Makaranda
from the life of Tirthankaras a great deal, mainly as visual aid to the devotees. The illustrations were also done to aquire religious merit by the pious Jainas. The Society has four such illustrated MSS. of the Kalpasūtra, one of the important religious texts of the Jainas. They are painted in the western Indian style of painting of the 15th century and later. They are in order dated A. D. 1415, 1625, 18th century, and A. D. 1826.
Palm-leaf illustrated MSS. painted during Pāla kings in Bihar and Bengal became very popular. They usually illustrated Tāntric Buddhist deities. But the invasion of Bakhtyar Khalji in A. D. 1200 put an end to this art. However, this art later spread to Nepal and Tibet. In this art there is influence of paintings from Ajantā and Ellorā. There are six palm-leaf illustrated folios from the Buddhist MS. Astasahasrikā Prajñāpāramitā of c. A. D. 1200 in the Asiatic Library.
All the MSS. in the Society's collection are now micro-filmed. Scholars can now refer to these MSS. with the help of the micro-film reader provided at the Society's premises. They can also get photostat copies of folios at nominal fixed rates.
LIST OF RARE MANUSCRIPTS :
Brahmanical :
Gañaratnamahodadhi, Samvat 1480 (B. D. 63) Süryasiddhānta of Candeśvara, Saṁvat 1452, Sāke 1318 (B. D. 282). Süryasiddhānta of king Madanpāla, Samvat 1459 (B. D. 282). Atharvavedasamhitā of Paippaladaśākha, Samvat 1925 (B. D. 246). Bhagavatapurāņa of Yogeśvara, Samvat 1573 (B. D. 231). Aranyakaparva of Mahābhārata, Samvat 1573 (B. D. 245). Pañcadandatpatrachatraprabandha, Samvat 1499. Vikramacaritra, Samvat 1492, Sake 1357.
JAINA:
Kalpasūtra, Samvat 1472 (B. D. 63/4). Sadāvasyakasūtra, Samvat 1455 (B. D. 202).