Spiritual Awakening and other Essays

Author(s): Kamalchand Sogani
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 79

A.D. the temple of Tirumalāi presents beautiful wall paintings. 92 After 11th cent. A.D. paintings on palm-leaves began. The plam-leaves paintings are found at Mudabidrī in the South and at Pātana (Gujarāta) in the North.' In London is preserved the Kalpasūtra which is the earliest example of paper painting (1427 A.D.)92 Painting on cloth and wood are preserved in Jaina Šāstra Bhandāras of various places.
It is of capital importance to note that Jainas have carefully maintained manuscript libraries throughout India. These libraries possess not only Jaina literature but preserve also the non-Jaina literary works. In Rājasthāna, Madhyapradeśa, Gujarāta, Karnātaka and Mahāraştra, a large number of manuscript libraries preserving vast and varied literature, both religious and secular have been maintained,
Jaina Literature : According to Jainism a Tīrthankara, along with self-realisation, propagates socio-spiritual values for the benefit of mankind. His deliverances form the canonical (Agamic) literature of the Jainas. Mahāvīra, the twenty-fourth Tīrthankara preached in the language of the masses which was known as Prākļta. Thus the Jaina Agamas (canons) are in Prākrta. These Agamas form the 'Holy Scriptures of the Jainas'. These cover a wide variety of subjects. It is of capital importance to note that the Jaina Ācāryas continued to compose works in Prāksta up to 13th cent. A.D. namely, the Agamic commentaries, the metaphysico-spiritual works of Kundakunda, logical works of Siddhasena and Devasena, Tiloyapnnati of Yativịşabha, Trilokasāra of Nemicandra, Bșhatsangraha of Candrasuri, Vicārasāra Prakaraṇa of Pradyumnasūri, Bhagavatī Ārādhanā of Sivārya, Mūlācāra of Vattakera, Pravacanasāroddhāra of Nemicandra, Sāvayapannatti, Yogasataka and Dhurtākhyāna of Haribhadra, Kattigeyāņuvekkhā of Svamikumāra,
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Spiritual Awakening (Samyagdarśana) and Other Essays