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Jahangir's relation with Spiritual Jaina Leaders
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Gujarat was the center of Jainism. The influence of Jaina Ācāryas, which started from the reign of Akbar, was continued till the first-half of Jahangir's reign. Though, the imperial-historians are also silent on this issue, but the Jaina-biographies and the sources from some half dozen of the royal-farmans are there to show that Jahangir, alike his father, supported the Jaina-Ācāryas and issued farmans granting benefits to and ensuring the good for their community. It shows the happy-relation of Jaina-Ācāryas with Emperor Jahangir. These farmans, which were published in the Journal of Bombay University in the year 1940, are the evidences of the extremely tolerant religious policy of these rulers in an age of high religious bigotry and persecution. Bhānucandra-caritra and 'Surishwar or Samrat also deal with the relation of Jaina-Ācāryas and the Emperors and also deal with the translation of these farmans.
Bhānucandra, not only brought his influence to bear on Akbar, for doing the good of his community, but of the public at large. It is said that when Mughal-army raided Jamnagar, and made captive the king with all his men, Akbar was celebrating the occasion and granting various gifts to his men, he requested Bhānucandra also to ask for something. Instead of wishing for any trifling thing, he skillfully demanded release of all those prisoners who were made captive, and the Emperor had to grant soon. The second instance, as writes Siddhicandra, was that when Salim (Emperor Jahangir) was appointed as the Sūbedāra of Gujarat, the Jeziya and other taxes, which were stopped by Akbar, were revived by him. When Bhānucandra came to know of it, he sent Siddhicandra to put Salim in the right-knowledge of the affairs; hearing which, Salim became sad at heart and issued farman to his officers, repealing the taxes.'
When Akbar died, Bhānucandra and his disciple Siddhicandra were present in the Agra fort. On the accession of Jahangir, both Bhānucandra and Siddhicandra, who had been continuously in residence at Akbar's court for the record period of 20 years, sought
