Acharya Hemachandra

Though the history of Gujarati Literature can be traced to as back as 1000AD; the discussion starts with Acharya Hemachandra (1089–1172), the great Jain scholar, poet, and polymath. He was trained in religious discourse, philosophy, logic and grammar and is known as Kalikal Sarvagya. He was ordained as the acharya of the Svetambara sect of Jainism and was given the name Hemachandra also Somachandra.

Hemachandra was contemporary and teacher of the Kumarapala of the Solanki dynasty of Gujarat. Kumarapala was such a dedicated disciple of Hemachandra that he banned all kinds of cruelty against any living being in his kingdom. Such was the kingdom of Solankis, based on the principles of Ahimsa. He also built the Taranga Jain temples and took up the project of restoring the Somnath temple. Acharya Hemachandra wrote grammars of Sanskrit and Prakrit, texts in logic, philosophy and mathematics