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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
52
3.6
Community of scribes, Laiyas and Mathen painters of Marwar and Bikaner.
We have seen that by about the 10th century. Jaina monks had realised the eudcational value of the Jain Bhandaras (repositories of Jain literary works). The benefactors of such institutions took pains to explain to the learned Jains the importance of their religious and secular texts which had been collected by them for several centuries. Such foundations encouraged the Jain shresthis and laymen to order copies of seacred texts and present them to the Jain monks who in turn deposited them in the Jain Bhandaras for preservations and posterity. At the same time, in order to give impetus to their activity, the Jnana-Pujas (Worship of knowledge) were held from time to time, which kept the interest of the laymen alive for learning.
It is worthy of note to mention, the names of Jaysimna Siddharaja and Kumarapala, in this connection, the renowned rulers of Gujarat of the medieval period. Jaysimha Siddharaja (1093.1137 A.D.) is said to have employed about three hundred scribes to copy out books and manuscripts on religious and secular subjets for the Imperial library. These copies were subsequantly destributed to scholars all over India.' Kumarapala (1143-1172 A.D.) is said to have established twenty one Jaina
1.
Prabhavaka Charitra (Singhi Jaina Series. Bombay) 1940.
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