________________
શ્રી. હૈમ સારવત સવઃ અહેવાલ
૫૩
the hearts of the youths of both sexes, it could confidently be expected that large crowds of persons of both the sexes and of all ages commencing from the one at which a desire for knowledge grows, would be collected there. That occasion was also naturally likely to attract to Patan a fairly large number of the Gujarati litterateurs, both professional and anateur. His Highness the Maharaja Gaikwar too had consented to grace the occasion by his presence. The leading men of the local Jain community therefore thought it expedient to seize that psychological moment to get the opening ceremony of that temple of knowledge performed about the same time as the sacrifice by Mr. Muxshi himsell. It was accordingly arranged that three of the Easter holidays in this year should be utilized for these purposes and that the first of them should be devoted to the opening ceremony and the next two to the sacrifice of knowledge.
Experience has proved that the decision was a wise one. The spacious and well-decorated Mandap erected for the performance of the ceremony in the big open space adjoining on the west of the temple to be opened, was not only filled to its utmost capacity but arrangements had to be made for installing one loudspeaker in the open space in front of the hall and another in that adjoining the street leading to the hall and the Mandap and besides the leading literary lights of Gujarat and the principal hosts the seating accommodation on the dais
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
