Light on Religion and Philosophy from the early Jaina Inscriptions from Rajasthan (upto 1200 A.D.)
By Krishan Gopal Sharma
Summary
Krishna Gopal Sharma’s study examines early Jaina inscriptions from Rajasthan up to the 12th century. It emphasises that these inscriptions are predominantly private, donative records rather than official chronicles. Donors—often laypersons, merchants and local elites—commissioned inscriptions to commemorate their generosity towards religious institutions and thereby perpetuate their names. Because they were not issued by rulers, the inscriptions provide only incidental information about political events or state policies and instead offer glimpses into the socio-economic and religious milieu of early Rajasthan. The paper catalogues 52 inscriptions, most of which date to the 11th and 12th centuries and are written in Nāgarī script and in Sanskrit. Sharma analyses the religious content of the inscriptions and notes that many open with invocations to the Jaina pantheon, praising Tirthankaras such as Ṛṣabhanātha and Pārśvanātha, and protective deities like Yakṣas and Yakṣīs. Several records mention philosophical concepts from Jainism’s śaṭ-khaṇḍāgama, such as the six substances and categories of jīva, reflecting the doctrinal literacy of the patrons. The inscriptions also preserve verses from Jain literature and provide the earliest epigraphic evidence of sectarian traditions. A significant section of the study discusses the identities of religious teachers. Names such as Indranandi, Ajitanandi, Vimlanandi, Bappasetti and the famous poet-monk Śāntisūri appear, revealing the presence of various gacchas and saṃghas. The inscriptions record the succession of pontiffs and their migration from centres like Valabhī and Chitor, allowing scholars to reconstruct Jaina monastic networks. Sharma also draws attention to the socio-economic context: donations include setting up images, constructing temples (vidhicaityas), providing food and clothing for monks, and establishing endowments for temple maintenance. The donors’ titles indicate involvement of men and women from trading castes, royal families and guilds. The article concludes by discussing the Vidhicaitiya movement—an apparent proliferation of image-installation ceremonies in the 11th century that spread across Rajasthan. Overall, the study demonstrates that although the early inscriptions are not official records, they illuminate Jain religious practices, philosophical concerns and social patronage in medieval Rajasthan. It encourages historians to view these inscriptions not merely as pious eulogies but as valuable sources for reconstructing the spread of Jainism and the dynamics of its communities
Conclusion
Sharma’s epigraphic survey shows that early Jaina inscriptions from Rajasthan are predominantly private memorials commissioned by donors rather than official edicts. They provide rich but fragmentary insights into the religious landscape—celebrating Tirthankaras, recording the lineages of teachers and mentioning doctrinal elements—but offer little direct evidence of political historyhttps://jaingpt.org/knowledge/jain_inscriptions_of_rajasthan_001596_001596#:~:text=,The%20inscriptions%20are%20categorized%20into. The inscriptions confirm that Jainism thrived in medieval Rajasthan through donations from merchants, nobles and women, and reveal the existence of multiple monastic traditions. By highlighting both the potential and limitations of these records, the article underscores the need for cautious interpretation and further discoveries to fully understand Jainism’s early developmenthttps://jaingpt.org/knowledge/jain_inscriptions_of_rajasthan_001596_001596#:~:text=,Inscriptions.