Treasures of Jaina Bhandaras

Author(s): Umakant P Shah, Dalsukh Malvania, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Introduction
study could be made of these antiquities, some of which the undersigned writer of Notes on Art had no occasion to examine in the original. The aim of this Catalogue is to bring to the notice of scholars the wealth and value of new material that could be collected and exhibited from various viewpoints. Still there are several important Jaina collections which, it is hoped, will be available to us in future for study.
Besides the texts of manuscripts on palm-leaf, paper and cloth and the pațas on paper and cloth, as also scrolls of Vijñapti-patras etc., there are in the Jaina Bhandaras of India, and especially of Rajasthan and Gujarat, several manuscripts of Jaina and non-Jaina works which, because of their antiquity and illustrations are very valuable to students of miniature paintings of Western India.
In one of his recent works, (entitled More Documents of Jaina Painting etc.), the. undersigned attempted a list of different Jaina texts whose manuscripts are known to contain book-illustrations. The present Catalogue further adds considerably to our knowledge of illustrated mss. available in Jaina collections.
This Catalogue could be published because the Gujarat State Government financed the whole project, including cost of publication of Catalogue. We are indeed very thankful to the Government of the Gujarat State for the liberal grant given for this cause to the L. D. Institute of Indology.
I am very thankful to my friends Prof. Dalsukhbhai Maivania and Prof. Nagin J. Shah for giving me an opportunity to study this rich new material. The whole staff of the L. D. Institute has extended whole-hearted cooperation in various ways. I am especially thankful to Shri Laxmanbhai H. Bhojak, the Keeper of all mss. etc. in the Institute for his valuable cooperation. Shri Laxmanbhai himself is a good student of Jaina texts and manuscriptology. The Catalogue appended here was kindly prepared by Prof. Malvania, Prof. Naginbhai Shah and Shri Laxmanbhai.
I must apologise for some photographs which are not upto the standard. Since the manuscripts had to be returned soon, the Institute had to seek services of different photographers and before I could check the results the originals had to be returned. I have not been able to study several miniatures in the original. I must especially refer here to the palm-leaf ms. of Kalpa-sūtra dated in V. S. 1439
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