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20
Holy Abu
of Bhattāraka Shubhachandra, the pupil of Bhattāraka Shrī Padmanandī of Sarasvati gachchha, Balātkāra gaña in the Shrī Mūlasamgha. They built here a Digambara Jaina shrine when Rājadhara Devaņā Chuņdā was governing ( ruling over ) Ābu.
Not far from the Shrīmātā ( Kanyākumārī) shrine is a small garden, owned by the Shvetāmbara Kārkhānā, with a well in it. Flowers and fruits are grown, the flowers being used for worship of the gods in these shrines,
All offerings, placed by the pious worshippers or pilgrims, of fruits, sweets or (uncooked) rice etc., are distributed amongst the paid pujāris of these shrines while other valuables (money etc.) are credited into the accounts of the shrines (Bhandāra).
On Fälgun Kțşhņa 8 (acc. to the calculation of months current in Gujarāt) fall the birth date and the day of initiation (the Janma and Dīksha Kalyāņakas) of the first Tīrthankara, Lord Adinātha. On this day, every year, there is a big melā (fair ) held here when many people including Rājputs, Bhills, peasants and others, besides the Jainas from the Ābu region, gather here and worship the deities and present offerings. The Jaina Kārkhānā freely distributes a preparation of wheet (known as ghughari or tothā) to all people assembled at Delvāļā on the occasion.
Formerly, these village people used to play the Rāsa, locally known as Gera, with sticks in hand (a kind of folk-dance, by men or women singing together ), in the courtyard of the Vimala Vasahi. But in this rush and merriment proper respect to deities in the shrine could not be observed according to Jaina principles and hence by common consent of inhabitants of twelve villages (of Delvāļā, Toraņā, Sāni, Dhunąhai, Hethamji, Araņā, Oriyā,
| SR No. | 023259 |
| Book Title | Holy Abu |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Jayantvijay |
| Publisher | Yashovijay Jain Granthmala |
| Publication Year | 1954 |
| Total Pages | 380 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 14 MB |