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Among the Sura kings, Sikandara Sultan, who was on the throne of Delhi in A.D. 1554, honoured the Jaina Guru Viśālakirti of Karnataka.26 It is probably due to this patronising spirit of the Mohamedan rulers which they showed towards the Jaina Gurus that the naked Jaina saints freely moved all over India during the period, as is evident from their mention by Marco Polo,27 Tavernier28 Bernier29, and Mallik Jayasi.30
Now, turning to the Mughal period of Muslim Rule, we find Jainas enjoying much more liberty than they had ever enjoyed before. The naked sect of the Jaina ascetics was also influential to such an extent that it attracted the attention of Abul Fazal, who mentioned it in his Ayeen-i-Akbari.31 The modern town of Bairat in Jaipur State was the centre of the Digambara Jainas at the time. Sāhu Todar, a Digambara Jaina of Bhataniya Kola was the Mint Officer under the imperial Service of Akbar.32 This Sāhu Todar, patronised the Jaina poet Rajamalla of Bairāt who had spoken highly in favour of the great emperor and informs us that Akbar abolished the ‘Jazia! tax and prohibited the sale of intoxicants. 33 And if we believe the Jesuit missionary Pinheiro, 34 we must say that Akbar followed the sect of the Jains. No doubt he showed great kindness and patronage towards the Jainas and their Gurus. Šri Hiravijayasuri, Vijayasena and Jinacandra of the Svetambara sect enjoyed power and had much influence over him.35 The Jaina principle of Ahimsa greatly influenced the character and religious policy of Akbar, He issued Firmāns to the Jainas for stopping cruelty and killing of animals at many a sacred Jaina place. The above mentioned Jainācăryas were honoured also by Emperior Jehangir, who conferred the title of 'Yuga Pradhana' on Jinasimha, the disciple of Jinacandra.36 The Digambara Jaina poet Benărsidās, it is reported, was favoured by Shah Jehăn,*7 whose son Muradbux, while governor of Gujarat, showed great kindness to Johari Šántidāsa of Ahmednagar. 3 8 Aurangazeb appointed this foremost Jain jeweller of Gujarat as one of his Darbaris.39 Although Aurangzeb was famous for his bigotedness, yet it seems that the profound learning, unpolluted piousness, natural simplicity and the vigorous feeling to do good to mankind at large of the Jaina saints so much affected the heart of the despotic emperor that he was inclined to entertain and honour their cheif. 4° It is obviously the reason which made the contemporary Jaina poets to shower praises on this sovereign.“
In South India too, the relations between the Muslim rulers and the Jainas were not altogether hostile. Even Hyder Ali, the bigoted Muslim king, granted villages to the Jaina temples, though owing to the oppressive
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