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ANCIENT JAINA HYMNS and would also explain Hemacandra's silence re the restoration.
It is thus probuble that it was the Sakunikā-vihāra after its restoration through Ambada, which Santu decorated with golden pinnacles, which are again mentioned at the occasion of the presentation of golden flag-staffs by Tejapāla about a century later.
From Ambada's restoration onward, Prabhāvakacarita, Vividha-tirtha-kalpa, and Prabandha-cintāmaņi have nothing further to say re Śakunikā-vihāra. The next reference to the sacred place, this time under the name of “Asvavabodha", is found in the Upadešamālāvrtti "Doghatti”, which its author Ratnaprabha Sūri (Bșhad Gaccha) states to have been composed in V. S. 1238? in that very temple.
Then, Mahendra Sūri (Vidhipaksıya Gaccha) mentions the Tirtha in his “A stottari-tirthamālā-stavana" (st. 77-80), some time after V. S. 12872. This stavana forms part of the Vidhipaksa-Avasyaka Liturgy, and contains both the names “Asvāvabodha" and "Samaliyāvihāra" with references to the legends.
With Mahendra Sūri, we have approached the period of the brothers Vastupāla and Tejapāla, the Śravaka Ministers of the Vaghelā Rājā Viradhavala of Dholka (vassal of the Solanki King Bhīma II of Gujarat, who ruled from 1234 to 1298). Both are famous not only as statesmen and generals, but particularly as builders and restorers of Jaina temples, and as patrons of Jaina poets and saints. They belonged to the Porvād clan and died in V. S. 1296 and 1304 respectively. Out
(1) M. D. Desai, 1. 1, para. 483.
(2) Loc. cit.; vide also Pt. Lalacandra Gandhi, Tejapalano Bhavnagar, V. S. 1991, Introduction, p. 10 f.
Vijaya,
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Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com