The 24th SOAS Annual Jaina Lecture: Upakeśagaccha Narratives: Kakkasūri on Hemacandra, Pārśva, and Śatruñjaya

The Centre of Jaina Studies (CoJS) at SOAS, University of London, is hosting its 24th Annual Jaina Studies Lecture and its 26th Annual Jaina Studies Workshop on 21-22 March 2025.

These events are public and free to anyone interested in Jainism and/or religious traditions.

This year’s annual lecture will be given by Olle Qvarnström and is titled Upakeśagaccha Narratives: Kakkasūri on Hemacandra, Pārśva, and Śatruñjaya.

The lecture will be concluded by a reception.

Abstract

The 14th century author Kakkasūri was the leading exponent of the Upakeśagaccha, one of the most influential Śvetāmbara mendicant lineages in the Middle Ages. Kakkasūri authored two texts: the Nābhinandanajinoddhāraprabandha and the as yet unpublished Upakeśagacchacarita.These works provide the most comprehensive accounts of the Upakeśagaccha, offering the earliest detailed exposition of its history and foundational myths. Kakkasūri’s texts are also the first known sources to trace the lineage of the Upakeśagaccha back to Pārśva. In two remarkable episodes, Hemacandra, the highly revered author of the Yogaśāstra, appears in unexpected contexts where Kakkasūri positions the Upakeśagaccha at the center of events. Disagreements over ritual practices between various gacchas were frequent, and in Kakkasūri’s narrative a confrontation between Hemacandra and the Upakeśagaccha leads to changes in the Yogaśāstra making it relevant to all Śvetāmbara gacchas. The Upakeśagaccha’s unique claim of descent from Pārśva encompasses many dimensions and must be properly understood from both literary and historical perspectives. Kakkasūri’s detailed account of the grand pilgrimage to Śatruñjaya and the renovation of its Ṛṣabha temple in 1315 AD, reveal the Upakeśagaccha’s political role and Kakkasūri’s distinctive philosophical views. 

Speaker: Olle Qvarnström (University of Lund)

Contact

pf8@soas.ac.uk

Registration

Register via Google Forms.

Image: Ācārya Śrī Kailāsasāgar Sūri Jñānmandir, Koba