IOJ ►Jain Treasures at Bodleian Libraries

Institute Of Jainology

---

Bodleian Libraries hold in their collection some of the very unique Jain manuscripts outside of India. An exhibition of some of these manuscripts titled ‘Jain Treasures at Bodleian Libraries’ was set up in the Proscholium at Bodleian Libraries on 20th May and will remain open until 1st July 2012.

The Institute had arranged for a formal launch of the exhibition on 25th May at the exhibition venue.

Space limitation in the Convocation Hall restricted the number of guests to only 65. The Directors had arranged for a coach from London to take the guests to Oxford thus avoiding too many cars making the journey.

The coach left Harrow Leisure Centre at 1pm and made two stops en route to Bodleian. First one was at the Brahma Kumari’s Global Retreat Centre just outside Oxford and the second at Ashmolean Museum in the City.

The guests gathered at 5 pm in the majestic Convocation Hall which spoke volumes of its past history.  The program started with prayers by Bakulbhai Mehta, a IoJ Patron and his wife Sarojben both of whom had travelled from Oman.

Starting Prayers by Mr & Mrs Bakulbhai Mehta

Dr Gillian Evison, our host for the evening and who along with her colleague Anneke Bambury had worked hard to arrange the exhibition and the evening for the launch, opened the evening with a warm welcome for the guests. She outlined the glorious past of the Bodleian Libraries  (

) briefly and talked generally about the Bodleian collection of Jain manuscripts. She referred to the latest addition to the collection - a manuscript in Prakrit,  and how it had been delivered to the Library on the back of a bicycle. She also reminded the guests that whilst seating on benches without backrests and getting stiff backs, they should all think of the parliamentarians of the past who had to spend hours sitting on the very same benches!!! She introduced Professor Nalini Balbir - Chief Editor of JAINpedia Project and Professor of Indian Studies at University of Paris III, Sorbonne and requested her to talk about the collection at Bodleian.

Dr Gillian Evison

Professor Balbir started her address with how the Westerners coming in to India found Jain traditions so strange and could not fathom it and how it took almost two hundred years before Jainism was recognised as a distinct faith. She spoke of how Jain manuscripts have become so central to Jain philosophy and their evolution over the centuries. She then spoke of how the collections were arranged and the history of the collections in Europe. Then she went in to details about the collection at Bodleian. She spoke in detail about some of the manuscripts in the collection.

Her deep and thorough understanding of  manuscripts came across very clearly when she highlighted the specific points on the manuscripts that made them special. Her lecture would be a very good introduction to anyone wanting to learn about Jain manuscripts.  

.

Gujarat Samachar Representatives In the Audience

In vote of thanks by the Institute, acknowledgement was given to the attendance by many scholars from Oxford University, visitors from overseas and the Jain community leaders who were present in the audience.

Details of the Family Day arranged for 8th June were announced. After this everyone proceeded to view the exhibits before going in to the magnificent Divinity Hall for a sumptuous dinner hosted by the Institute.

Dinner in the Divinity Hall

Institute's Directors with the Guests

The coach and the guests who had come with their own vehicles left at 8pm.