Jain Inscriptions

Jain Inscriptions have a special place in Jaina-writings because these monuments of the past inscribed in stone and bronze reflect the total literary creation in a succinct from. They report on the persons and event of ephemeral and historical significance in Sanskrit language, in Prakrita and different Aryan and Dravidian local languages. They bequeath legends and poems in the most simple, as well as in the artistic style. The fact that even epics and panegyric dramas have been inscribed on stone can give an idea of the diversity of the contents of the inscriptions.

Most of the inscriptions are found near the cult-idols temples and shrines. They bequeath to the posterity the dates of presentations, the names of the pious donors, their family-tree and deeds. Others are dedicated to the memories of the deceased princes and great men, distinguished women, saints, ascetics and nuns or they eternalize even which were considered as important enough to be communicated to the future generations.

The form in which the inscriptions speak is very different; some of them are composed in a brief and matter-of-fact manner, in others, the language is elevated to a poetic height and flaunts the ornamental means of speech which are taught by the poetics.

Jaina-inscriptions begin mostly with a word of benediction like "Om! Swasti! Sri!" with a laudation of the doctrine or with the words of respect to the Tirthankaras. Again similar forms or the pious wish "May the whole world be blessed!" concludes the inscription.

Many inscriptions are characterized by "Prasastis (eulogies) in which distinguished men or women are glorified in an exuberant manner. These Prasastis are composed in an excessively artistic language and regale in a genuinely oriental manner in imageries and simile. Thus it is said of a king that he was a head-jewel of his dynasty, a earring of the Goddess of Speech, a moon which swells the waters of the ocean of Jaina-doctrine a wish-cow (of generosity) for the poets, a ravaging fire for his opponents; it is said of a princess that she was a giver of happiness like Laksmi, a mine of gem of excellence, a victory-banner of the god of love, a mad elephant for the other wives of her husband, and it is said of an ascetic that his feet were worshipped even by gods, he turned the world into a blessed place of pilgrimage by his saintliness, his speech was pleasant to the ears like fanning with yak-fans and his fame striving heavenwards intermingles with the rays of the moon.

Such Prasastis are often found as epitaphs at the places which enclose the mortal remains of pious laymen or ascetics, particularly of those who voluntarily died from starvation. Many epitaphs have particularly a nice effect in their dignified simplicity when general thoughts on the ephemerality of all things mundane are expressed in them in a poetic from.