Hemachandra

Biography

Hemachandra (c. 1088 – c. 1172/1173) was a remarkable Śvetāmbara Jain ācārya whose work covered many areas, including poetry, mathematics, philosophy, grammar, and history. Born as Caṅgadeva in Dhandhuka, he later became a famous polymath in medieval India and was known as kalikālasarvajña, meaning 'the knower of all knowledge in his times.' His peers saw him as a brilliant scholar with knowledge in many areas.

He joined the Śvetāmbara school of Jainism in 1110, taking the name Somacandra before becoming known as Hemacandra when he was made an ācārya. His scholarly career took off when he became an adviser to King Kumārapāla in 1125, a role that allowed him to impact both religious and political thinking. During this time, he wrote Arhannīti, a key work on politics from a Jain viewpoint, showing his skill in applying Jain ideas to government.

One of his major literary works was the Triśaṣṭi-śalākā-puruṣacarita, or the Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Charita in English, a large Sanskrit epic poem about the lives of 63 important Jain figures. This work established him as a great poet and a key historian of Jain traditions. His linguistic contributions included the Deśīnāmamālā, a lexicon of local terms that played a role in the growth of Gujarati literature, making him an important figure in the development of the Gujarati language.

In mathematics, Hemachandra made advances in combinatorics and number theory, while his Yogaśāstra gave detailed guidelines on yogic practices within Jainism. His knowledge in grammar, logic, rhetoric, and prosody showed the wide range of his intellectual interests. He spent his later years in Gujarat, continuing his scholarly work until his death around 1172-1173, leaving a legacy that influenced future scholars, poets, and religious followers.