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Studies in Jainology, Prakrit
a large onc, headed by Bhadrabāhu and accompanied by his royal disciple Candragupta, which entered Karnataka in 400 B.C. and established its first colony at Kalbappu, that radiated those teachings more effectively and extensively to the Southern and nearby regions in South India. The study of this carly phase of South Indian Jainism, which can be said to have its beginning with B.L. Rice in 1909, progressed at the hands of scholars like Ramaswami Aiyangar and B.Sheshagiri Rao, R.Narasimhachar," Vincent Smith elc, and the historicity of this south Indian tradition of the great Jain migration was almost established.
The next phase of a studies in South Indian Jainism is found represented by the works of B.A.Saletore, S.R.Sharma," P.B.Desai, S.B.Deo, Kailas Chandra Shastri,10 ctc., wherein religious history of Indian Jainism with the corresponding political background, and based on tradition, inscriptions, monuments and literary evidence, has been very well depicted. Considerable light on the Yapaniyas, the Kūrcakas, the Gommala cult, the Yakșini cult, the innovations and adaptations etc., has been thrown in these works.
At this stage we can hardly forget the timely and relevant miscellaneous contributions, in different degrees, to this field by scholars like N.R.Premi, Hiralal Jain, A.N.Upadhye, Bhujabali Shastri, Jyoti Prasad Jain, B.R.Gopal, Sarayu Doshi, B.K.Khadabadi
etc. 11
Further, V.P.Johrapurkar's findings on the South Indian Bhttāraka tradition as a part of his whole work and V.A.Sangave's findings on the South Indian Jaina Community as a part of his novel work, 13 have added new dimensions to the studies in South Indian Jainism.
Moreover we have to rememter with gratitude scholars like Robert Swell, 14 T.N.Ramachandran,ls A.Chakravarti, 16 S. Vaiyapuri Pillai,17 K.V.Ramesh 18 etc., for their varied contributions to the different aspects, of the hold of ancient and medieval Jainism, particularly in the Tamil country, as based on the Jaina inscriptions,
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