ABSTRACT
The Jains, an ancient community, primarily engaged in the trade, were to be found in the seventeenth century in all the important market-places of north India1 such as Lahore, Multan, Delhi, Agra, Patna, etc., though their main concentration was in Rajasthan and Gujarat. In the seventeenth century, Sanskrit was the language of culture and the key to higher education amongst the Hindus besides endowing the person concerned with high social prestige. Jain contribution to the development of vernacular literature in this age is significant. One can say that no history of vernacular literature of north-west India in the seventeenth century can ignore achievements of Jain scholars. The vernacular languages all over north and west India were, in the seventeenth century, in a state of formation. As traders, the Jains were primarily urban-based and were familiar with almost all the important cities and urban centres in the Hindi-speaking area. Pattavalis constitute another important feature of literary achievements of Jains.
