Which language was not widely used by Jaina scholars while producing a vast body of literature?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Pali
As Jainism spread to many parts of India, Jaina scholars, like the Buddhists, produced a wealth of literature. They wrote in a variety of languages: Prakrit, Sanskrit and Tamil. For centuries their manuscripts were carefully preserved in libraries attached to temples. Pali is not one of these languages; it is best known as the language of the early Buddhist texts, such as the Tipitaka.
NCERT (2025-26): “3.1 The spread of Jainism … Gradually, Jainism spread to many parts of India. Like the Buddhists, Jaina scholars produced a wealth of literature in a variety of languages – Prakrit, Sanskrit and Tamil. For centuries, manuscripts of these texts were carefully preserved in libraries attached to temples. Some of the earliest stone sculptures associated with religious traditions were produced by devotees of the Jaina tirthankaras, and have been recovered from several sites throughout the subcontinent.” |