Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāras: An Ecumenical Tradition of Preservation
Vyom A. Shah (✉) | October 26, 2025
Libraries and Their Precursors
The importance and significance enjoyed by Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāras (knowledge repositories) in earlier centuries is the same as the place held by libraries in present times. Today, as Jñāna-Pañcamī reminds us the significance of knowledge and its preservation, in this blog, I shall underline the non-sectarian commitment of Jainas to safeguarding wisdom across faiths and interests.
Two Modes of Ownership
Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāras can be broadly divided into two types based on ownership: private holdings (including institutional collections) and shared ownership by the saṅgha—a community of Jaina members residing in a particular region. Most Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāras belonged to the second category, since monks generally did not carry books under their own names. This collective ownership enabled people from various social strata to contribute toward preservation and management, making the collections both well-preserved and diversified.
Migration and Continuity
When social unrest erupted in Patan, Khambhat, and neighbouring regions, various collections were shifted to Jaisalmer under the leadership of Jaina ācāryas. Conversely, where social disruption remained absent—as in Karnataka—the collections were preserved in situ, notably in the Digambara Jaina Grantha Bhaṇḍāras. Puṇyavijayajī (1953) notes that Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāras are found in more than five hundred locations across India. This figure represents not the number of repositories themselves but the number of cities, towns, and villages housing them.
Material Forms and Chronology
Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāras held four major types of manuscripts: palm-leaf (tāḍapatra), birch-leaf (bhūrjapatra), paper (kargada), and cloth (vastrapaṭa). Paper manuscripts begin appearing in Jaina repositories around thirteenth century CE. This does not imply that Jaina texts were unwritten before that date but suggests a continuous tradition of copying older texts alongside newly composed works—an ongoing cycle of textual renewal and manuscript transmission.
The Premier Collections
In terms of manuscript antiquity and diversity—including proof-read texts, illustrated manuscripts, works on logic and philosophy, and on non-Jaina philosophies like Vaiśeṣika, Nyāya, and Bauddha thought—the Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāras at Patan, Khambhat, and Jaisalmer occupy the first rank.
Jaisalmer
Among these, the Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāra at Jaisalmer was built under the guidance of Khartaragaccha Ācārya Jinabhadrasūri. A ninth-century palm-leaf manuscript of the Viśeṣāvaśyaka Bhāṣya by Jinabhadragaṇi was discovered in this Jñānabhaṇḍāra—significant for its script, content, and language. Manuscripts of Jaina canonical texts in this repository are generally saṃśodhita (corrected copies).
This Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāra also holds numerous commentaries on the Sāṃkhya Kārikā, including the bhāṣya by Gauḍapāda; the Tattvavaiśāradī commentary on the Yogasūtra alongside Vyāsa's bhāṣya; Śaṅkara's bhāṣya on the Bhagavadgītā; Śrī Harṣa's Khaṇḍanakhaṇḍakhādya; the Nyāyasūtra with its bhāṣya, vārtika, tātparya-ṭīkā, tātparyapariśuddhi, and an annotation called Pañcaprasthāna. Annotated and commented copies of Dharmakīrti's Nyāyabindu and Śāntarakṣita's Tattvasaṃgraha are also found in this Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāra, alongside various other Buddhist works. It also contains manuscripts handwritten by Upādhyāya Yaśovijaya. Another Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāra preserves a complete set of texts on Nyāya and Vaiśeṣika philosophies—including sūtra, bhāṣya, ṭīkā, anuṭīkā, and annotations—in form of paper manuscripts written in 1279 VS (1222 CE).
Khambhat
Next comes the Śāntinātha Tāḍapatrīya Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāra at Khambhat, which contains various illustrated manuscripts. One of the finest examples of this repository is minister Vastupāla’s handwritten manuscript of the Dharmābhyudaya Mahākāvya. Among the oldest paper manuscripts found in any Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāra is Jineśvarasūri's Kathākośa, written in 1234 VS (1177–78 CE) and preserved in the Khambhat Bhaṇḍāra. Though nearly 850 years old, Puṇyavijayajī notes that this paper manuscript remains remarkably well-preserved.
Patan
The Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāras of Patan hold importance from multiple perspectives. One unparalleled contribution is the recovery of Dharmakīrti's Hetubindu with commentary by Arcaṭa in Sanskrit—found nowhere else. Jayarāśi's Tattvopaplavasiṃha was also discovered from one of the Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāras in Patan. Dharmakīrti's Pramāṇavārttika with auto-commentary, unavailable elsewhere, was found at one of the knowledge repositories known as Bhābhā no Pāḍo. It also holds Dharmottara-ṭippaṇaka by Mallavādī. Seeing the abundant availability of texts like these, Peterson, a textual scholar remembered for the rich harvest of his manuscript searches, said:
"I know of no town in India and only a few in the world which can boast of so great a store documents of venerable antiquity. They would be the pride and jealousy guarded treasure of any University Library in Europe."
Ahmedabad and Cloth Manuscripts
Among the Jaina Jñānabhaṇḍāras in Ahmedabad, the Pagaṭhīyā Bhaṇḍāra held various manuscripts handwritten by Yaśovijaya and commentaries on the Naiṣadhīya Kāvya and Vāsavadattā Kathā by scholars such as Bhānucandra and Siddhicandra. The L. D. Institute of Indology in Ahmedabad holds an illustrated manuscript of Śāntināthacaritra in Ajitaprabhasūri written in 14th century. This is one of the oldest illustrated manuscripts and it has been registered into Memory of the World Programme by UNESCO. The Kailāsasāgarasūri Jñānamandira, Koba has one of the largest manuscript collections in Gujarat and also holds state-of-the-art cataloguing facility. Among cloth manuscripts, we find vijñaptipatra (formal declarations), letters, and other documentary materials.
A Legacy and a Charge
These manuscripts are extremely valuable. They are reflections of our past and often pathways to our future. The wisdom we have received through the resilience of our ancestors is not mere ṛṇa (debt) we are paying off, but a dharma (duty) we are following in order to transmit this heritage to the next generation. As global citizens, we must yearn to preserve this rich cultural heritage bestowed upon us and strive to disseminate the wisdom within our capacity.
P.S.: Each year on the fifth day of the bright half of Kārtika month, Jainas celebrate Jñāna-Pañcamī—a festival of knowledge. On this day, they engage in praising knowledge and its five types (matijñāna [sensory knowledge], śrutajñāna [scriptural knowledge], avadhijñāna [clairvoyance], manaḥparyāyajñāna [telepathy], and kevalajñāna [omniscience]), alongside practical activities such as cleaning books in the bhaṇḍāra and updating catalogues. The Śvetāmbara sect celebrates Jñāna-Pañcamī, while the Digambara sect observes Śruta-Pañcamī on Jyeṣṭha Śukla Pañcamī, commemorating the completion of the Ṣaṭkhaṇḍāgama by Ācārya Bhūtabali and Puṣpadanta. This day is also celebrated as Prakrit Language Day. A more detailed overview of Digambara knowledge repositories shall follow soon.
Note on Sources: This essay draws upon Puṇyavijayajī's articles "Jñānabhaṇḍāro par ek Dṛṣṭipāta," "Pāṭaṇa nā Jñānabhaṇḍāro," and related writings. The author does not claim complete originality over the content presented here.
Author of this blog is an enthusiast in Saṃskṛta, Prākṛta and Apabhraṃśa, and has pursued Masters' degree in Sanskrit. Know more here.