Bhatt/Info on Hemachandra/Tamil-Prakrit

[Yashwant Malaiya]

Bhatta:

Bhatta is a title. It means a distinguished scholar (or a
king). Brahmins of several regions bear this title regardless
of the nyat (jnaati).

The term Bhattaraka is generally used for heads of Jain mathas
these days, in the past it was also used by heads of Shaiva,
Buddhist and Saura institutions also. The title parama-bhattaraka
was used by many kings.


Acharya Hemachandra:

Acharya Hemachandra's  nyat by birth is said by some authors to be
Odh and by others Modh.

Modh is the very same nyat in which Mahatma Gandhi was born in.

He was initiated by DevaChandraSuri of Chandra gachchha (now
extinct, I believe). He also studied under SridattaSuri of
Purnatalla gachchha (also now extinct).

Tamil/prakrit:

Regarding  the campantar's comment, it should be mentioned that
Sanskrit too was a Prakrit, specifically the language of NW
India. That is why the Buddhists in Gandhar used sanskrit (or
a sanskrit-like) language instead of Pali. This is just like
khari boli being the standard dialect of Hindi today.

Use of Sanskrit lingered on in NW India for quite some time, and
was even used during the rule of some Muslim rulers as an
official language.

The kafirs (culturally extinct now), specially the Kalash, who
were isolated in valleys, even now use words that are remarkably
close to pure Sanskrit. They have only recently given up their
original faith for Islam (or Christianity in a few cases). Their
valleys are not too far away from Shalatur, where Panini lived.


Yashwant