________________ 479 Vaishali Prakrit Jain Research Institute of the Institute. The proposals mooted by these Committees are consi- ) dered by the General Council before recommendation to the Government for final consideration and decision. The Institute is proud of having an eminent scholar like Dr. Hira Lal Jain as its Founder-Director. He held this august office from December 1, 1955 to July 24, 1961. His worthy successors, viz., Dr. Nathmal Tatia (holding the office from July 25, 1961 to January 13, 1973), Dr. Gulab Chandra Chaudhury (from January 14, 1973 to May 4, 1974) and Dr. Nagendra Prasad (from May 5, 1974 to January 18, 1982) equally distinguished themselves in contributing to the development of the Instituto as one of the finest centres of research and training. Dr. Ram Prakash Poddar acted as the Director of the Institute from January 19, 1982 to April 12, 1984 and gave an impetus to the activities, particularly academic, of the Institute. From April 13, 1984, Dr. Deva Narayan Sharma, as the Acting Director, assumed the heavy responsibility of nourishing the Institute in its best traditions. Objectives Prakrit and Jainology bad drawn the attention of the Orientalists, and much valuable work had been done by a number of eminent scholars like Jacobi, Buhler, Pischel, Schubriog, Woolner, Charpentier, Winternitz, Gueriaet, Hoernle, Thomas, Glasenapp, Jules Blick and Alsdorf in the West and V. R. Gandhi, C. L. Jaini, P. C. Nabar, Pandit Sukhlalji Sanghavi, Bechardas, Muni Sagaraganda, Muni Jinavijaya, Muni Punyavijaya, K. C. Bhattacharya, Satkari Mookerjee, P. L. Vaidya, Hira Lal Jain, A. N. Upadhye, S, M. Katre and M. A. Mehendale in the East, before the establishment of this Institute. A number of text-publishing series and bodies like the Agamodaya Samiti Series (Surat), Jaina Atmananda Sabha Series (Bhavanagar), Jaina-dharma-prasaraka Sabha Series (Bhavanagar), Mapekchand Digambara Jain Granthamala (Bombay), Raichand Jain Sastramala (Bombay), Jain Cultural Research Society (Banaras), Bharatiya Joanapitha (Banaras) and Sacred Books of the Jainas (Arrah) had published a number of valuable original texts and studies on Prakrit and Jainology.1 But despite these individual efforts of isolated scholars and private institutions, it bad not been possible to popularise the subject and attract adequate number of serious and better-equipped scholars for intensive research work and advanced studies in its manifold branches. Hence it was that the Vaishali Institute was established by the Governm:nt. 1. See the Vaikali Sangha brochure of 1952, pp. 2-3 for this list.
