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Vol. XXIII, No. 2
(1500 A.D.) an account of Jain preceptors immediately follow the invocatory part. But generally it is the description of the ruling families, which follows the invocatory verses. There are, however, certain Prashastis, which do not contain the Rajavalli or
Raj-Vamsha-Varnana. (iii) The chronology, tradition of Jain preceptors and the antecedents
of the Jain Shresthi, at whose behest the Prashasti was inscribed, come after the Rajayalli. While describing the Jain Sadhus the name of the Gachchha, details of his preceptors, ancestors and honorific or descriptive epithets, if any, used for him are also given. This practice is found in the inscriptions of both Shvetambar and Digambar Sects. While describing the Jain Shresthis. details concerning clan, namely whether he was an Oswal, Palliwal, Porawal, Dharkat, Bagherawal, Khandelwal or such like together with other such biographical information as the name of his home town etc. were also given. Sometimes manifold details of the benevolent deeds performed by his family were
appended to such details. (iv) After this nature of the endowments is recorded. (v) Sometimes the name of the person, who has drafted the inscrip
tion together with the name of the engraver (Sutradhar) is also given, The Mahavira25 Prashad Prasasti of Chittor V.E. 1495 mentions Sanvega-Yati as the scribe, who had written the letters on stone. The Nadol inscription of Chauhan Alhan contains the information that Naigam Kayastb Shridhar, who possessed a good knowledge of ancient literature bad drafted the grant and written for getting the same inscribed it on stond. The persons, who composed the inscriptions, evidently had a good knowledge of the chronicles. Jain inscriptions are famous for their beautifully engraved script; and the study of their palaeo
graphical details. Therefore, these all are more interesting. (vi) The inscription ends by recording the date of its execution. Pre
medieval inscriptions generally do not record the month and day of their execution; only the year is available in them. But in the later inscriptions these are also specifically mentioned. In cases, where date is not recorded, it has to be roughly worked out on the basis of palaeograghic details and other historical data.
The word "Chha" () or Iti-Subham and others are found at the very end of the record.27 The earliest known use of the syllable "Chha” is from the Hatundi Jain temple inscription of V.E: 1053 (996 A.D.),
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