Gleanings

Summary

The article discusses a Jain university at Rayadurgam, which is a significant historical and cultural site. This university, dating back to the Rashtrakuta period, is located on a hill near a small perennial spring. The establishment included a Jaina temple facing north, with a unique assembly of undressed slab-stones used for the construction of the temple’s sikhara. The university functioned until several years after the battle of Raksasatagdi. The structure of the university included multiple departments, with the figures of three Tirthankaras carved on a boulder under banyan trees. The carvings of the Tirthankaras symbolize these three separate teaching departments. Below the carvings, there are depictions of teachers and pupils in rows, with elderly pupils offering salutations to the teachers. Notably, the teachers have vyasapithas (book-stands) before them, indicating the academic focus of the university. The university was inclusive, as it welcomed women and individuals of all castes, teaching a range of subjects. Women students, along with male students, were seen in the university’s depictions, with rows of female pupils attending classes. The students who made their way up the hill could gain spiritual benefits, such as reducing karma, and quench their thirst from the spring at the temple. After the lessons, they could descend the hill from a simpler route. This Jaina university illustrates the educational and spiritual importance of the time, demonstrating how women were not excluded from learning in ancient Jaina institutions.