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Our thanks to Naresh T. Shah for his help in preparing cross reference and in the selection of articles. He also helped in editing the Pratishtha video. Special thanks to Ms. Archana Parikh who constantly helped in preparing the index, editing the articles and proof-reading. She also looked after Ashtapad research activities at Ahmedabad and without whom we would have never completed the editing job. Thanks to Ms. Nirali Shah who helped all along in editing and proof reading. Mr. Snehal Shah helped in editing. Ms. Vidhi Chhabria, Ms. Akshita Palliwal and Ms. Pranali Shah have helped me all along the way in putting all the material together and finally this Granth in your hands. Niranjana, my wife, has been my backbone. She took care of our family and supported me in every way possible, from trekking to Mt. Kailash in blistering cold to reading and correcting errors in papers. She has taken my passions and made them her own. It has been because of her care and concern that I have been able to finish this ten year endeavor. I would like to thank my family members who remained patient with me during this period. We wish to thank Shri Shailesh Desai and Girish Koshti from Hi Scan Printing for composing, printing and taking special care to print the photographs in the Granth. Different research team members have expressed their own views and opinions about their work. One may agree or disagree with the views or opinion of the authors. It is a part of ongoing research and is incomplete and inconclusive as of today. Unless proved otherwise, the Ashtapad Tirth is lost (lupt) in time. I have requested the research team members to work in coordination with L.D. Institute of Indology at Ahmedabad to continue the research work and follow it up till the lost Tirth is found. Shri Aadinath era was the dawn of world civilization and once Ashtapad is located, it will tell us about early development of human civilization. This will open a new chapter on world history and will be a potential source of information about religion and culture of that period. These two parts of the Ashtapad Granth is one of a kind. Literature on Ashtapad has never been compiled and for the first time a Granth has been written exclusively on Ashtapad research.
Jai Jinendra
Rajnikant Shah Shri Aadinath - Varshi Tap Parna Dated- April 24th, 2012, Vaishakh Sud Teej Veer Samvat-2538, Vikram Samvat-2068 Note: Some of the reference books mentioned in this Granth including Shri Ashtapad Maha Tirth Granth I are
available on JAINA e-library at http://www.jainlibrary.org/book.php?file=009772. Granth II will be added soon after completion.
Note: In 1986 a German expedition reached the sacred area around Mount Kailash and filmed a documentary of
the ruins of buildings and fortresses from the kingdom of Shang Shung. This film was broadcast by some European television networks.
Reinhard Karl - The Dark Glow of the Mountains- Gasherbrum-Der Leuchtende Berg
One can view the film on the internet.
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