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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
(
१५ )
मथुरा के लेख व अन्य स्मारक जैनियों के इतिहास के लिये बहुत ही उपयोगी हैं । इस विषय पर सर विन्सेन्ट स्मिथ के शब्द उल्लेखनीय हैं। वे कहते हैं:
“ The discoveries have, to a very large extent, supplied corroboration to the written Jain tradition and they offer tangible and incontrovertible proof of the antiquity of the Jain religion, and of its early existence very much in its present form. The series of twenty-four Pontiffs (Tirthankaras) each with his distinctive emblem was evidently firmly believed in, at the beginning of the Christian era." Further "The inscriptions are replete with information as to the organization of the Jain church in sections known as Gana, Kula and Sakha, and supply excellent illustrations of the Jain books. Both inscriptions and sculptures give interesting details proving the existence of Jain nuns and the influential position in the Jain church occupied by
women* "
अर्थात् 'इन खोजों से जैनियों के ग्रन्थों के वृत्तान्तों का बहुत अधिकता से समर्थन हुआ है और वे जैन धर्म की प्राचीनता व उसके बहुत प्राचीन समय में भी आज ही की
• ‘Jain Stugra and other antiquities of Mattura'.
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