Vijyanandsuri Swargarohan Shatabdi Granth

Author(s): Navinchandra Vijaymuni, Ramanlal C Shah, Shripal Jain
Publisher: Vijayanand Suri Sahitya Prakashan Foundation Pavagadh

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The Moghul Emperor Jehangir, on hearing the dispute between the Jains of Tapa Gachcha, invited them to Mandu, where he was staying. He also tried to settle their dispute. He gave the title of Maha Tapa'to Vijay Deva Suri24. He also respected the other group. The titles of 'Khush Faham', 'Nadira-Zamana', and 'Jehangir Pasand' were given to Siddhi Chandra. On account of the respects given to Vijay Deva, his gr became more powerful. He seems to have reconciled with some followers of the other group. He invited Siddhi Chandra when he was going with Mubarak Khan to Ahmedabad, but he refused to join him. Bhanu Chandra died before V.E.1690, when Mehajala, a Sanghpati of Sirohi, led a Sangh to Shatrunjay. Vijayanand, the successor of Vijay Tilak Suri, Siddhi Chandra and others joined it. But Bhanu Chandra was absent. The monks of Vijayanand group did active propaganda against Sagar Paksha in Mewar, Godwar and other parts where it could not develop.
Vijay Deva Suri of the main branch remained quite active after the grant of epithet of 'Maha Tapa' to him. He had a good physique and lived upto V.E.1709, as his foot prints were installed at Patan in that year. He widely travelled in Rajasthan and consecrated several icons at Jalore, Pali, Medata, Kishkinda, Udaipur, Barkana and other places, as is evident from inscriptions, an account of which is given below.
The Malpura Jain temple contains inscriptions of V.E.1672,1678,1690 and 1691. The inscription of V.E.1672 mentions the name of Chandra Prabhu Jain temple built there by Jain Sangha at the instan of Siddhi Chandra and Bhanu Chandra. It also has the name of Vijay Deva Suri as the Bhattarak. The name of Chandra Prabhu remained, as is apparant from the inscription of V.E.1678. But it seems that later on, change was made in V.E.1691, and icon of Muni Suvarat was installed in place of Chandra Prabhu. All the inscriptions bear the name of Vijay Deva Suri as the Bhattarka. One epigraph of V.E.1672 of Vijay Gachcha also has the name of Vijay Deva Suri25
Maharana Jagat Singh I of Mewar respected Vijay Deva Suri very much. As per his instructions, the following items were prohibited
(1) Not to slaughter any animal on the day of the coronation of
Maharana Jagat Singh I. (2) Not to kill any animal in the month of Bhadwa, this being the
month of his birth.
(3) Fishing is forbidden in the Pichhola Lake. Ayagapattas And The Beginnig Of Jaina Cult Worship
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