The Jaina Education Fund Association, Mysore.

Summary

The Jaina Education Fund Association, Mysore, established in 1919, focuses on educational advancement, community upliftment, and preservation of Jaina heritage. It provides scholarships across four grades to support impoverished students, emphasizing education for women to counter widespread ignorance and conservative practices. The Association mandates Jaina religious studies for scholarship recipients, conducting annual exams in Mysore and collaborating with institutions like the Sholapur religious examinations. Efforts to preserve Jaina literature include manuscript collection, publication with translations, and establishing a library. Despite challenges, such as community indifference and manuscript degradation, the Association collaborates with government bodies and institutions like the Karnataka Sahitya Parishat to expand access to Jaina texts. A notable setback is the unresolved attempt to secure the *Jayadhavala* manuscript. The Association promotes social and political progress within the Jaina community, advocating for minority representation in legislative bodies. It manages charitable funds, including hostels for advanced students in Bangalore and Karur, supported by donations like Sriman Mothikhana Padmanabhiah’s Rs. 25,000 building donation. It also subsidizes Sanskrit schools and plans a pilgrim facility at Sravana Belgola. Despite six years of work, financial constraints remain a barrier to larger projects. The Association urges community support through subscriptions and donations to advance its initiatives, emphasizing unity to resolve disputes internally and protect sacred sites from legal entanglements.