A Bhaṭṭāraka ( pka, भट्टारक "holy one") heads traditional
Digambara
''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvētāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing n ...
Jain
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
institutions. He is responsible for training scholars, maintenance of libraries, managing endowments, presiding over installation ceremonies and running Jain institutions.
Overview
![Patnaganj](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Patnaganj.bhattarak.mahendrakirti.jpg)
The term ''bhaṭṭāraka'' was used for
Virasena
Acharya Virasena (792-853 CE), also known as Veerasena, was a Digambara monk and belonged to the lineage of Acharya Kundakunda. He was an Indian mathematician and Jain philosopher and scholar. He was also known as a famous orator and an accomp ...
,
Bhadrabahu
Ācārya Bhadrabāhu (c. 367 - c. 298 BC) was, according to the ''Digambara'' sect of Jainism, the last '' Shruta Kevalin'' (all knowing by hearsay, that is indirectly) in Jainism . He was the last ''acharya'' of the undivided Jain ''sangha''. ...
and other notables. It has also been used for the Tirthankaras. It was in the past used for leaders of religious orders in
Shaivism
Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...
,
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
and other groups, but currently it is applied to heads of
Digambar
''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvētāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing n ...
a Jain institutions. Unlike a
Digambara monk
Digambara Sādhu (also ''muni'', ''sādhu'') is a Sādhu in the Digambar tradition of Jainism, and as such an occupant of the highest limb of the four-fold ''sangha''. They are also called ''Nirgranth'' which means "one without any bonds". Di ...
, a bhaṭṭāraka wears an orange robe, stays in a single place and is involved in management of assets of the institution.
Several of the Bhattarak seats were termed "Vidyasthana" i.e. centers of learning. These include Jaipur, Delhi, Gwalior, Ajmer, Nagaur, Rampur-Bhanpura, Karanaja, Surat, Kolhapur, Jinakanchi, Penukonda, Malkhed, Vijayanagara, Varanga and Hummacha.
The role of a bhaṭṭāraka is described by Brahm Gyansagar, a disciple of Bhaṭṭāraka Shribhushana of
Kashtha Sangh
Kashtha Sangha (काष्ठा संघ) was a Digambar Jain monastic order once dominant in several regions of North and Western India. It is considered to be a branch of Mula Sangh itself. It is said to have originated from a town named K ...
Nanditat Gaccha in seventeenth century of the Vikram era, while describing the six components of the Jain Sangha:
hi, भट्टारक सोहि जाण भ्रष्टाचर निवारे, धर्म प्रकाशे दोइ भविक जीव बहु तारे
सकल शस्त्र संपूर्ण सूरिमंत्र आराधे, करे गच्छ उद्धार स्वात्मकार्य बहु साधे
सौम्यमूर्ति शोभाकरण क्षमाधरण गंभीरमति, भट्टारक सोहि जाणिये कहत ज्ञानसागर यति , , ९, }
''Bhaṭṭāraka sōhi jāṇa bhraṣṭācara nivārē, dharma prakāśē dōi bhavika jīva bahu tārē, Sakala śastra sampūrṇa sūrimantra ārādhē, karē gaccha uddhāra svātmakārya bahu sādhē, Saumyamūrti śōbhākaraṇa kṣamādharaṇa gambhīramati, bhaṭṭāraka sōhi jāṇiyē kahata jñānasāgara yati.''
"Thus a bhaṭṭāraka illuminates both dharmas, is an expert in all scriptures, has the authority to recite the suri-mantra (to consecrate an image). He is also responsible for preserving the order. He is the head of the six limbs of the sangha: shravaka, shravika, pandita (brahma), muni (maha vrati), aryika and Bhattaraka."
Many of the bhattarakas were prolific authors. They wrote hundreds of original books and commentaries on various subjects, in Sanskrit and in local languages. All existing Jain manuscripts available today owe their preservation to the libraries maintained by Bhattarakas. They trained and supported pandits. Until modern times, all pratishthas were supervised by them or pandits (such as
Raighu
Raidhu ( IAST: Raidhū; 1393–1489) was an Apabhramsha poet from Gwalior, and an important figure in the Digambara Jain community. He supervised the pratishtha consecration ceremony of many—perhaps most—of the Jain idols carved on the hill ...
)designated by them.
Present Bhattaraka Seats
Once bhaṭṭārakas were common all over India, but currently, they are present only in South India, with the exception of a new Bhattaraka seat at
Hastinapur
Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain tex ...
. Famous bhaṭṭāraka seats include:
Karnataka
*
Shravanabelagola
Shravanabelagola () is a town located near Channarayapatna of Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is from Bengaluru. The Gommateshwara Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important tirthas (pilgrimage des ...
, seat of the Desiya Gana, Pustaka Order. The bhaṭṭāraka is named Charukirti. This is where the ''Siddhanta Grantha''s were once preserved in the library, before they were moved to Mudabidri.
*
Moodabidri
Moodabidri ( kn, ಮೂಡುಬಿದಿರೆ ''Mūḍubidire''; also called Mudbidri, Moodbidre and Bedra), is a town and taluk in Dakshina Kannada district. It lies 34 km northeast of the district headquarters, Mangalore, in Karna ...
, also a very important great holy seat of the Desiya Gana, Pustaka Order. The bhaṭṭāraka is named
Charukirti. The original manuscripts of the ''Siddhanta Grantha''s like Dhavala are preserved here. The present swamiji is very much experienced most popular India and abroad scholar, master's degree, doctorate holder in various subjects. On 29 August 1999 swamiji took charge of holy bhattarak seat; it is independent holy ancient jain digamber acharya seat.
*
Humbaj
Humcha / Hombuja is a small village near Ripponpet, Hosanagara taluk in Shimoga district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Humbaja Atishaya Jain Teerth Kshetra is famous for being home to an ancient temple of Goddess Padmavati, and to the Humb ...
, seat of
Balatkara Gana
Balatkara Gana is an ancient Jain monastic order. It is a section of the Mula Sangh. It is often termed ''Balatkara Gana Sarasvati Gachchha''. Until the beginning of the 20th century it was present in a number of places in India. However all it ...
, Sarasvati Order. The bhaṭṭāraka is named
Devendrakirti. This is the original seat of the order which once had branches all north India from Idar in Gujarat to
Shikharji
Shri Sammet Shikharji () is a pilgrimage site in Giridih district, Jharkhand, India. It is located on Parasnath hill, the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. It is the most important Jain Tirtha (pilgrimage site) by both Digambara and ...
in Jharkhand
*
Narasimharajapura
Narasimharajapura is a town panchayat and tehsil headquarters in Chikmagalur, Karnataka, India. It resides in the Malenadu region of Chikmagalur district. The nearest Towns that connect to it are in Bhadravathi (52 km), Channagiri (85), Shimoga ...
*
Karkala
''Karkala'' also known as Karla in Tulu language, is a town and the headquarters of Karkala taluk in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India. Located about 60 km from Mangalore in the Tulu Nadu region of the state,it lies near the foothill ...
*
Kanakagiri Jain Matha
*
Amminabhavi
Amminabhavi is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India.Village code= 658400 Amminabhavi, Dharwad, Karnataka It is located in the Dharwad taluk of Dharwad district in Karnataka.
Demographics
As of the 2011 Census of India there wer ...
*
Kambadahalli
Panchakuta Basadi (or Panchakoota Basadi) is a temple complex located in the Kambadahalli village of the Mandya district, Karnataka state, in southwestern India. It is one of the finest examples of South Indian Dravidian architecture of the Wes ...
*
Sonda Jain Math
Sirsi is a city in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka state in India. It was also known as Kalyana Pattana during the Sonda Dynasty. It is a tourist destination with evergreen forest and waterfalls and is also a commercial centre. The mai ...
Maharashtra
* Nandani, seat of the Sena Gana, Pushakara Order. The bhaṭṭāraka is named
Jinasena
Jinasena (c. 9th century CE) was a monk and scholar in the ''Digambara'' tradition of Jainism. He was patronized by the Rashtrakuta king Amoghavarsha I. He was the author of ''Adipurana'' and '' Mahapurana''.[Acharya Shantisagar
Acharya Shri Shantisagar (1872–1955) was an Indian monk of the Digambara school of the Jain faith. He was the first Acharya (preceptor) and a leader of his sect in the 20th century. Shanti Sagar ji revived the teaching and practice of traditi ...]
belonged to this tradition.
*
Kumbhoj
Kumbhoj (pronounced as ''kam'bho'j'') is the name of an ancient town located in Kolhapur district in Maharashtra. The town is about eight kilometers from Hatkanangale, about twenty seven kilometers from Kolhapur and currently, also is the Taluka ...
*
Kolhapur
Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'.
Kolhapur is kn ...
Tamil Nadu
*
Bhattaraka Lakshmisena of the
Jinakanchi Jain Math (also known as the
Mel Sithamur Jain Math
Jina Kanchi Jain Math, Melsithamur, is a Jain Matha that is located near Gingee, Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu, India.
It is the primary religious center of the Tamil Jain community. It is headed by the primary religious head of this communit ...
), who heads the
Tamil Jains
Tamil Jains (Tamil Samaṇar, from Prakrit '' samaṇa'' "wandering renunciate") are Tamils from Tamil Nadu, India, who practice Jainism (Tamil ). The Tamil Jain is a microcommunity of around 85,000 (around 0.13% of the population of Tamil Nad ...
.
*
Bhattaraka Dhavalakeerthi of the
Arahanthgiri Jain Math
Arahanthgiri Jain Math is a Jain Matha that established near Tirumalai in August, 1998. The Math is headed by Bhattaraka Dhavalakeerthi.
History
History of Arahanthgiri Jain Math starts from the period of 322–185 BCE as the Last ‘Shrutkev ...
Historical Bhattaraka Seats
Bhaṭṭāraka seats existed at the following places until recent centuries:
# North India:
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
,
Hisar, Haryana
Hisar is a city, municipal corporation and administrative headquarters of Hisar district of Hisar division in the state of Haryana in northwestern India. It is located 161.2 km (100.16 mi) to the west of New Delhi, India's capital, a ...
,
Mathura
Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...
# Rajasthan:
Jaipur
Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...
,
Nagaur
Nagaur is a city and municipal council in Nagaur district of the state of Rajasthan in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Nagaur District. The Nagaur city lies about midway between Jodhpur and Bikaner.
Nagaur is famous for spices ...
,
Ajmer
Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "''Aj ...
,
Chittorgarh
Chittorgarh (also Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in Rajasthan state of western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It was a major stronghol ...
,
Pratapgarh, Rajasthan
Pratapgarh, is a town in Rajasthan, India. It is the district headquarters of Pratapgarh district, Rajasthan, Pratapgarh district the newest district of Rajasthan. Famous for its Thewa art, the city is surrounded by tribal villages.
It is al ...
,
Dungarpur
Dungarpur is a city in the southernmost part of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Dungarpur District. It is the fastest developing town in the southern part of Rajasthan, alongside Aspur ''tehsil''.
History
Dungarpu ...
,
Narsimhapur,
Rishabhdeo
Rikhabdeo (aka Rishabhadeo) is a census town in Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan, in north-west India.
Rishabhadeo is situated from Udaipur and is on Udaipur-Ahmedabad Road. The name of the town is also Dhulev The place got its name ...
,
Mahavirji
Shri Mahavir Ji is an important and prominent Jain pilgrimage site situated in Shri Mahaveerji town in Hindaun Block, Karauli district in Rajasthan. Given the importance of the religious place, the Indian Railways has specifically developed ...
# Madhya Pradesh:
Gwalior
Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...
,
Sonagiri
Sonagiri ( hi, सोनागिरी) or Swarnagiri about 60 km from Gwalior, has scores of Jain temples dating from the 9th century onwards. It is located in the Datia district of Madhya Pradesh, India. This location is popular among ...
,
Ater Ater (Hebrew אֲתַר) is an Old Testament male name.
#A descendant of Hezekiah, who returned from Babylon ;
#An Israelite, who subscribed to Nehemiah
Nehemiah is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in r ...
,
Chanderi
Chanderi, is a town of historical importance in Ashoknagar District of the state Madhya Pradesh in India. It is situated at a distance of 127 km from Shivpuri, 37 km from Lalitpur, 55 km from Ashok Nagar and about 46 km f ...
,
Sironj
Sironj is a town and a municipality in Vidisha district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
Demographics
India census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a g ...
,
Rehli,
Panagar
# Gujarat:
Idar
Idar may refer to:
People
* Idar Andersen (born 1999), Norwegian road racing cyclist
* Idar Kreutzer (born 1962), Norwegian businessperson
* Idar Kristiansen (1932–1985), Norwegian poet, novelist, short story writer and non-fiction writer
* ...
,
Sagwada,
Surat
Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now ...
, Bhanpur,
Sojitra
Sojitra is a village in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is in the Anand district
Anand District is an administrative district of Gujarat state in western India and whose popular nickname is Charotar. It was carved out of the Kheda dist ...
,
Kalol, Jerhat
# Maharashtra:
Karanja,
Nagpur
Nagpur (pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nag ...
,
Latur
Latur(लातूर) is a city in Indian state of Maharashtra, and is one of the largest cities of the Marathwada region. It is the administrative headquarters of Latur district and Latur Taluka. The city is a tourist hub surrounded by many ...
,
Nanded
Nanded is a city in Maharashtra state, India. It is the tenth largest city in the state and the seventy-ninth most populous city in India. It is the second largest city in Marathwada region. It is the district headquarters of Nanded distric ...
,
Kolhapur
Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'.
Kolhapur is kn ...
, Nandani
#
Penukonda
Penukonda also called Penugonda is a town in the Sri Sathya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is 70 km away from Anantapur town.
Demography
According to ''The Imperial Gazetteer of India'', Penukonda was a subdivision and ta ...
# Karnataka:
Malakheda,
Karkala
''Karkala'' also known as Karla in Tulu language, is a town and the headquarters of Karkala taluk in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India. Located about 60 km from Mangalore in the Tulu Nadu region of the state,it lies near the foothill ...
,
Swadi
The
Terapanth movement arose in 17th century because of opposition by elite householders to Bhattarakas. Still many Bhaṭṭāraka seats in North India existed until the beginning of the 20th century. In some locations disputes arose and the reformists opposed existing Bhattarakas because they did not display the scholarship expected, or disapproval of their spending of the institutional funds. Many Bhattarakas were unable to find suitable disciples to take their place after them.
A new Bhattaraka seat has again come into existence at
Hastinapur
Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain tex ...
presided by Bhattaraka Ravindra Kirti.
Theories of Origin
There are several theories of how the modern Bhattarka institution originated.
In its modern form, with the Bhattaraka as an orange-robed advanced layman, its founding is often attributed to
Prabhachandra of
Mula Sangh
''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvētāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing n ...
,
Balatkara Gana Saraswati gachchha, who travelled from
Pattana (Gujarat) to
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, where he was anointed in a ceremony as the first Bhattaraka of Delhi. He was invited by the ruler of Delhi, who is identified as Muhammad Bin
Tughlaq
The Tughlaq dynasty ( fa, ), also referred to as Tughluq or Tughluk dynasty, was a Muslim dynasty of Indo- Turkic origin which ruled over the Delhi sultanate in medieval India. Its reign started in 1320 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the ...
.
However
Shrutasagara, in his commentary on Shatprabhrita, mentioned Prabhachandra's predecessor Vasantakirti as having adopted body coverage first. The lineage linking Vasabtakirti and Prabhachandra is given as following (see
Balatkara Gana
Balatkara Gana is an ancient Jain monastic order. It is a section of the Mula Sangh. It is often termed ''Balatkara Gana Sarasvati Gachchha''. Until the beginning of the 20th century it was present in a number of places in India. However all it ...
):
# Vasantakirti at Mandapadurg
# Vishalakirti (or Prakhyatkirti), Ajmer
# Shubhakirti, Ajmer
# Dharmachandra, Ajmer
# Ratnakirti, Ajmer
#
Prabhachandra, who visited Delhi
Originally the wearing of clothes was regarded to be an exception to be used when going out. Until recent time, many Bhattarakas used to discard clothing within the monastery on specific occasions like eating, image consecretion or initiating another Bhattaraka.
[Ravindra K. Jain, The Universe as Audience: Metaphor and Community among the Jains of North India, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, 1999, p. 33.]
See also
*
Mula Sangh
''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvētāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing n ...
*
Kashtha Sangh
Kashtha Sangha (काष्ठा संघ) was a Digambar Jain monastic order once dominant in several regions of North and Western India. It is considered to be a branch of Mula Sangh itself. It is said to have originated from a town named K ...
*
Yati
Yati, historically was the general term for a monk or pontiff in Hinduism and Jainism.
Jainism
In the late medieval period, yati came to represent a stationary monk, who lived in one place rather than wandering as required for a Jain monk. The t ...
*
Mahatma
Mahatma (English pronunciation: , sa, महात्मा, translit=mahātmā) is an honorific used in India.
The term is commonly used for Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is often referred to simply as "Mahatma Gandhi". Albeit less frequent ...
References
External links
*
{{Jainism Topics
Digambara
Titles and occupations in Hinduism