Ujjayant Girina Ketlak Aprakat Utkirna Lekho

This document is an academic article titled "Ujjayant Girina Ketlak Aprakat Utkirna Lekho" (Some Unpublished Inscribed Writings of Ujjayant Hill) by Madhusudan Dhaky and Lakshman Bhojak. The article, published in "Z_Aspect_of_Jainology_Part_2_Pundit_Bechardas_Doshi_012016.pdf" and available via a catalog link on jainqq.org, focuses on previously unpublished inscriptions found on Mount Ujjayant (Girnar), a significant Jain pilgrimage site.

The authors state that their article will present and discuss around fourteen newly discovered inscriptions from temples on the mountain, found during surveys in 1973 and 1977. They emphasize that, based on historical and epigraphic evidence, Ujjayant Hill has been exclusively a Jain pilgrimage site until the North-Central period. Therefore, all inscriptions found there, including the newly discovered ones, are related to Jain temples.

The article then provides a critical review of previous scholarly work on inscriptions from Girnar. They note that early attempts, like those by James Tod, were preliminary, ambiguous, and inaccurate due to a lack of expertise in medieval scripts and the subject matter. Pandit Bhagwanlal Indraji's work, while discussing an inscription from the Neminath temple, is also found to be lacking in accurate reading and full understanding. James Burgess, in his survey report, published several inscriptions, but the authors point out inaccuracies in readings and interpretations, particularly regarding the Chudasama dynasty. Later scholars like Datta-tray Diskalkar and Munishri Jinavijayji also contributed to the study of these inscriptions, with the latter compiling them and providing commentary. Acharya Vijaydharm Suri and Girishankar Vallabhji Acharya also published on specific inscriptions. Sarabhai Manilal Nawab also provided readings of two significant Girnar inscriptions.

The authors then introduce the inscriptions they have personally discovered and are presenting in this article, noting that some could not be fully deciphered.

Key inscriptions and their significance discussed include:

• Inscription 1: Found on a pillar in the guḍhamaṇḍapa of a temple, dated to Samvat 1236 (1180 CE). This inscription likely refers to a Jain muni who attained sallekhana (religious fasting unto death) on Ujjayant Giri, with the pillar possibly erected as a "niṣedhikā" (commemorative pillar for a departed monk). It falls within the reign of Chalukya-Vaghela king Bhimdev II.
• Inscription 2: Located on the pedestal of the main deity in the Marudevī temple (originally built by Vastupal) behind the Vastupal Vihara. Due to accumulated debris, only a partial reading was possible, mentioning Samvat 1276.
• Inscription 3: A two-line inscription on a white marble Nandiśvara-paṭṭa in the circumambulatory path of the Neminath temple, dated Samvat 1282 (1226 CE). It records the dedication of the Nandiśvara Jinabimba by Mahādhāndhal, son of Rājapāl, along with his family.
• Inscription 4: A three-line inscription below a paṭṭa believed to depict the "twenty-four traveling Jinas." The inscription, dated Samvat 1290 (1234 CE), is attributed to Mahādhāndhal and his family, who also dedicated the Nandiśvara-paṭṭa earlier. The authors argue that this paṭṭa likely depicts the twenty Jinas who attained liberation on Sammet Shikhar, rather than twenty "traveling" Jinas, based on the depiction of Parshvanath and the architectural representations of the temples. They reconstruct the lineage of Mahādhāndhal based on the inscription.
• Inscription 5: A heavily worn inscription on a black stone pillar near the southern pathway of the Neminath temple, dated Samvat 1334 (1278 CE). A significant aspect of this inscription is the mention of the city "Tejalpur," founded by minister Tejpāl around 1232 CE in the upper fort of Junagadh. This is presented as the earliest epigraphic evidence for this city, predating existing literary references.
• Inscription 6: A yellow stone inscription dated Samvat 1361 (1305 CE) in the northwest corner niche of the Neminath temple's guḍhamaṇḍapa. It concerns the installation of a Chaturvimśati-paṭṭa (panel of 24 Jinas) at Ujjayant Mahātīrtha.
• Inscription 7: A yellow stone inscription dated Samvat 1494 (1438 CE) below an image group of one male and five females. It mentions Sah Sarang, a merchant of the Śrīmāl sect, and suggests a connection to a reference in a 15th-century chaitya-paripāṭī about venerating the "Sārang Jinavar."
• Inscription 8: A short inscription dated Samvat 1498 (1442-43 CE) below a yellow stone Jinachaturviṃśatipāṭṭa in the Neminath temple's guḍhamaṇḍapa. It highlights the importance of the installation preceptor, Āchārya Somasundarasūri, a prominent figure associated with the famous Adhinath temple at Ranakpur and other sites.
• Inscription 9: An inscription on a white marble Jinapratimā in the guḍhamaṇḍapa of the so-called Samprati Rājā temple. It records the dedication of the Bimalanāth idol by the Śrīmāl family of Surat, consecrated by Śrī Ratnasingh Sūri. The authors note that the original idol of Vimalanāth was likely brass and that this inscription is a valuable historical document, even though the current idol might not be the original.
• Inscription 10: Dated Samvat 150(1)9, this inscription on an Ādināth Chaturviṃśati-paṭṭa in a devakūlikā mentions the dedication by Śreṣṭhi Lakṣamaṇa and his family of the Śrīmāl sect from Visalnagar, consecrated by Sūri Devendra.
• Inscription 11: This inscription is on a yellow stone idol, consecrated by Udayavallabha Sūri, disciple of Ratnasingh Sūri. The Jain's name and emblem are not clearly identifiable.

The article concludes by mentioning that a few other inscriptions from the 18th-19th centuries (Vettambara) and 15th-17th centuries (Digambara) were also observed but not included. The authors acknowledge the assistance of the American Institute of Indian Studies, Varanasi Center, and mention that some of the images were previously published but are being re-published for convenience due to the unavailability of the original publication.

In essence, the article is a significant contribution to the epigraphy and history of Jainism, shedding light on previously unknown inscriptions from a major pilgrimage site and providing critical analysis of prior scholarly efforts.