Jaina Contribution to Varanasi

Contents: Preface. 1. Jaina contribution to Kasi: an introduction/Kranti Kumar. 2. Kasi in Jaina tradition/Sagarmal Jain. 3. Tirthankaras of Kasi/B.S. Mehta. 4. Nativity and marks of Tirthankaras and Varanasi\'s contribution/P.C. Jain "Premi". 5. Significance of Sarnath in Jaina tradition and art/S.S. Sinha. 6. Sarnath -- Jaina tradition and reality/S.M. Jain. 7. Jaina contribution in early sculptural art and Varanasi/R.C. Sharma. 8. Jaina sculptural art of Kasi/M.N.P. Tiwari. 9. Ancient Jaina culture and scattered rare images of Varanasi/Munni Pushpa Jain. 10. Kasi and Banarasidasa and Vrndavandasa/J.L. Jain. 11. Nature and character of Kasi/S.K. Sadhak. 12. Kasi, Yasovijaya and Jaina Institutes/K.K. Jain. 13. Sources of Jaina time measure/K.K. Jain. Index.

"Varanasi/Kashi has been a confluence of several religious and philosophical thoughts including Jainism. Four pontiffs (Tirthankara) viz. Suparsvanatha, Sreyamsanatha, Chandraprabha and Parsvanatha are supposed to have been born in the Varanasi region. It was thus natural that the town grew into a pilgrim place for the followers of Jaina faith. The book highlights multiple aspects of cultural contribution of Jainism to Varanasi such as religion, philosophy, literature, art, iconography, architecture and educational institutions." (jacket)