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Homage Munishri Jinavijayaji A founder-member of the Bhavan, a member of the first Executive Committee of the Bhavan, the first Honorary Director of the Bhavan and General Editor of the Bhavan's Singhi Jain Series from its inception and an outstanding indologist, Acharya Munishri Jinavijayaji breathed his last on Thursday, June 3, 1976, at the venerable age of 88.
In his "Poorvashrama" he was known as Kisansinh Vriddhisinh Parmar. He was born in Vikram Samvat 1944 (1888 A.D.) in a Kshatriya family in the village Rupaheli in Mewar. He remained a bachelor throughout his life.
He had accepted Shri Sundaravijayaji Gani as his Guru and came to be known as Muni Jinavijaya.
Thereafter he dedicated his life to askesis and study. He founded the Rajasthan Puratattva Shodhasamstha, (Rajasthan Archaeological Research Institute), the Bharat Jain Vidyalaya at Pune and a Sarvodaya Ashrama at Chanderia.
Under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi, he worked as the Principal of Gujarat Puratattva Mandir in the Gujarat Vidyapeeth. In pre-war years, he had been to Germany for a critical study of the old manuscripts of Prakrit and Apabhramsha and was made an Honorary Member of the German Indological Society. He contributed 22 works in the series of "Grantha and Granthkar” sponsored by Gujarat Vidyasabha, Ahmedabad. Among his many works, Puratattva Samshodhanano Purva Itihas (Early History of Archaeological Research), Adhidhan Deepika (a lexicon of Pali), Prabhandhakosha, Jain Aitihasik Gurjar Kavya Sanchay and Haribhadracharyasya Samaynirnayah are of permanent value.
He edited many books under the Singhi Jain Series and the Rajasthan Puratattva Granthamala.
He had participated in the famous Dandi March and suffered incarceration for six months. At the invitation of Gurudev Tagore he had also stayed at Shantiniketan and founded there a Jnanapeeth.
The University of Bombay had invited him to deliver a series of lectures under the Thakkar Vasanji Madhavji Lecture Series Scheme.
In 1963, the Government of India had conferred on him 'Padmashri.'
In his death the world of scholars has become poorer and the Bhavan has lost one of its stalwart founders.
nd suffered Gurudev Tagihere a Jnana!
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