Jain Prakrit

Categories: Jainism

Jain Prakrit is a term loosely used for the language of the Jain canon.

The books of Jainism were written in the popular dialects as opposed to Sanskrit, which was the language of the dominant Hindu canon, and therefore encompass a number of dialects. Chief among these is Ardhamagadhi, which due to its extensive use has also come to be idetified as the definitive form of Prakrit. Other dialects include versions of Maharashtri and Sauraseni.