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34
(Holy Abu
Another extensive repair work (jirņoddhāra ) to this shrine took place in V.S. 1378, Monday, the gth day of the dark half of the month of Jyeşhtha, the ceremony was performed by Śri Jõānachandra Sūril in the lineage of the Dharmaghosha Sūri (at whose instance Vimala erected the shrine). These repairs were carried out with the joint donation of six brothers Vijada and others who were sons of Dhanasimha, and grandsons of Gosala of Māņdavyapura (modern Mandor near Jodhpur in Mārwar and of their three cousin brothers, Lāliga (Lalla ) and others who were sons of Mahaņasimha, the son of Bhima, the brother of Gosala (mentioned above).
It is just possible that these donors could not spend large sums over repairs and had to be satisfied with rebuilding the totally destroyed parts with simple walls etc., void of fine carving. Inscriptions on pedestals etc., in a number of the cells, show that in these repairs, new idols were installed in many cases. Portrait sculptures of Gosala and his wife Guņadevi, the grand-father and mother of Vijada, as also of Mahaņasimha and Miņaladevī, the parents of Lāliga, are still preserved in the gūờhamaņdapa of the Vimala-Vasahikā. ?
Another reason for building such low pinnacles (shikhara) of temples at Ābu is the fact that at Abu minor earthquakes take place once in every six months and tall shikharas would soon fall down under these circumstances. Even Hindu shrines at Ābu generally show small shikharas.
1 According to inscription No. I, printed in my Arbudachala-Prachina-Jaina-Lekha-Sandoha ( Ābu series, Vol. II).
2 See p. 37, loc. cit.
# The statement requires verification. I am not sure of it. But it may be noted that local traditions also suggest that in the past Ābu must have witnessed some earthquake activities, .cf. Purāņomān Gujarāt (Umāshankar Joshi), pp. 16 ff.
