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The Unknown Pilgrims
completely separately in this study but are included with the Svetāmbara documents in accordance with a particular geographical order, 102
The interest of these documents does not chiefly lie in their belonging to such or such a tradition, but in the names of the aryikās and sādhvis, which constitute signs of their presence in a particular region or period, and also in the actual nature of the documents. Before undertaking this long tour we must take note once again of that which is a characteristic of all the Jaina women ascetics of all epochs: they are anagāri, without a dwelling. The inscriptions and passages of manuscripts cited belong to a specific place; the fact that such or such an āryikā or sādhvi is mentioned in no way signifies that she was native of the place in question, but simply that she had sojourned there, passed through there. However, in past centuries the aryikās and sādhvis scarcely went beyond the boundaries of the province of their birth and so, as a general rule, we may take it that they were, if
102 Even though one or other tradition may have predominated in certain regions, a given locality often had among the Jaina community members of each of the sects. The documents of the Bhasțārakas are scattered here and there, not only because of the existence of different branches, but because they themselves moved or changed their headquarters. This makes it difficult to classify according to type references that are already restricted in both number and content. The grouping which follows is generally based on the region which corresponds to the headquarters of a gana, a sakha, etc.; however, certain references are introduced within the area of the place mentioned in the particular text and not within the area of the headquarters of one or other gana. Furthermore, the aryikās did not necessarily belong to the place indicated in a reference; however, we may certainly consider that they all belonged to the West or the Centre, i.e. the South of Rajasthāna, Gujarāta, Madhya Pradeśa or Mahārāstra. The texts, which are often in debased and archaic Sanskrit, often cite series of names, lines of Bhattarakas and of their disciples. Being myself neither an epigraphist nor a historian, I give here only those references concerning āryikās which are based on the original and on its shortened Hindi version. Professor Joharapurkar gave me the necessary details concerning the whereabouts of certain places and the content of certain texts.
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