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MEDIEVAL JAINISM : CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT
Amongst such places are Delhi, Agra, Ajmer, Amer, Abu, Nagaur, Todaraisingh, Catsu, Sanganer, Bharatpur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Bundi, Mandalgarh, Dungarpur, Chittor, Ranthambhore and Udaipur. The manuscripts written or copied in these places provide information regarding names of the places, names of persons by whom they were got copied, after being copied who they were presented and lastly sometimes they mention also the cost incurred in obtaining them. This information is available in most of the manuscripts. The authors of Apabhramsa and Hindi works also give some description about the rulers of their time. The city or town where the manuscripts were written and the general conditions of the people there are described. Such information if collected and coordinated would provide good material for a cultural history of the times. These Bhandars have played a great part in the development of the educational and cultural life of the country, because in the past they were literary centres and continue to be so even at present. There are many manuscripts on the basis of which love of the common people for art and painting at that time can be judged.
The Grantha Bhandars are very important from the historical point of view. There are several works exclusively on the subject of History. Besides, we find that the authors and copyists of the manuscripts give some description of the rulers, cities or towns where they wrote or copied and the patrons who encouraged learning. Such colophons called prasastis, are written generally either at the end or in the beginning of the works. On the basis of these, the time of many rulers can be determined and history of old cities and towns can be prepared. As manuscripts dated from 10th century onwards are available, so a history of past one thousand
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