SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Providing for small groups of mendicants roaming in the villages is relatively easy. However, the large entourages accompanying the ācāryas often pose challenges not only regarding the supply of food and drink but also items for daily use. These challenges are even more pronounced in major cities and at the pilgrimage centres of the mūrtipūjaka tradition. Monastic rules, which prohibit mendicants from requesting specific gifts or accepting specially produced items, further complicate the task of ensuring adequate provision. Additionally, from the perspective of householders, the spiraling cost of fulfilling these needs may become a concern. One solution was to permit the preparation of food for mendicants in general, who can visit dedicated places on their daily alms round. A similar approach was taken for providing access to sources of knowledge, such as manuscripts and books, which were made available through the creation of Jaina libraries either within upāśrayas or separately. Another key administrative innovation of recent decades, promoted by the mūrtipūjaka laity, is the creation of charities to fund central storehouses that supply essential paraphernalia free of charge for all (Śvetāmbara) Jaina mendicants. This report is about a new type of Jaina bhaṇḍāra – a storage facility or warehouse that is not used for commercial goods, or manuscripts, but for storing articles of daily use, utensils, clothes, etc., for Śvetāmbara mendicants. These institutions are relatively unknown and unexplored in academic scholarship.