Two Unpublished Caitya Paripatis on Citod Tirtha

Author(s): Jitendra B Shah
Publisher: Z_Nirgranth_Aetihasik_Lekh_Samucchay_Part_1_002105.pdf and Nirgranth_Aetihasik_Lekh_Samucchay_Part_2

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Two Unpublished Caitya Paripāṭīs on Citod-tirtha
Jitendra Shah
The tirthamālās and the caitya-paripāṭīs are the two distinctive types of metrical compositions in Jaina medieval literature. Of the two, the caityaparipātis concern with the pilgrimages undertaken to the Jaina holy places, the routes followed, and what was noticed at the tirtha-sites by the authors. These refer to the then existing caityas, their enshrined Jinas, and other concomitant information besides the numerical count of the caityas and in some cases the connected notable events and other details such as the names of the founders and the dates of foundations. Although the brief descriptions given these usually are not important from literary viewpoint they are invaluable as historical records of the Jaina places of worship in medieval times. By editing such unpublished works preserved in the Jaina libraries of manuscripts, the scholars in the past like Vijayadharma sūri, Pandit Bechardās Doshi, Hiralal Rasikdās Kāpaḍiā, Mohanlal Dalichand Deshãi, Sārābhāi Nawab, Munivara Kalyāṇavijayjī, Agarchand Nahāṭā, Vidyadhara Johräpurkar, and Madhusudan Dhāṁki (M. A. Dhaky) have attracted attention to them. A large number of those compositions describe the most revered holy places such as Śatruñjaya with Pālitāṇā, Girnāra with Junagadh, also Amdāvād (Ahmedābād, medieval Āśāpalli-Karṇāvatī), Patan (Aṇahillapāṭana), and Khambhāt (Stambhatīrtha) besides many, many other sites. Several of such works also refer to such other holy places like Iḍar, Abu, Śeriṣā, et cetera, these psalms were composed mostly in Old Gujarāti. It is possible that several such works, hitherto unpublished, are still lying in the Jaina manuscripts libraries. An attempt here is made to publish two such paripātis which so far were unpublished. These relate to the 'Citod' or 'Citradurga-tirtha' in the Meväḍ area of south-western Rajasthan. For the purpose of comparison, I also include here the earlier published "Citod Paripati," composed by the disciple of one Jayahema'.