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MEDIEVAL JAINISM: CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT
war and trouble. For the history of some ancient cities and towns not only of Rajasthan but also of India the manuscripts preserved in these bhandars, can supply material because in the most of the prasastis the names of the cities and towns are invariably mentioned and some descriptions supplied.
The rulers of Rajasthan states took great interest in literature and patronised poets and scholars. Caranas and Bhats who were court poets created poetic literature. In the states there were Grantha Bhandars or Pothikhanas established by these rulers. Such bhandars are of great importance and exist in Jaipur, Alwar, Udaipur and Bikaner etc. The capitals of these states were the literary centres as the prominent scholars used to live in the Darbars of these Rajput rulers. In the ancient time the cities like Campavati, Todaraisingh, Malpura, Cittor, Nagaur, Merta, Amer, Ranthambhore, Mandalgarh and Kumbhalgarh etc. were main centres.
But apart from these libraries patronised by the rulers, there were several literary centres which were related to Jainas. These literary centres were generally called the Grantha Bhandars where the work for writing of new works and copying out the old ones used to be done by the scholars. These Grantha Bhandars or literary centres were under the spiritual heads of Jaina church or scholars of high calibre. Jaisalmer, Nagaur, Ajmer, Baran, Fatehpur, Amer, Kotah, Ranthambhore, Dungarpur were the centres under the Bhattarakas or Jatis while the Bhandars of Sanganer, Jaipur, Bundi, Campavati, Udaipur and Sagwara were under the scholars who were generally requested by the householders to compose works for the laity. These Grantha Bhandars remained the centres of literary activities of many scholars.
The importance of the Jaina Grantha Bhandars is not
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