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[Holy Abu
The consecration ceremony took place on Fälguna Shukla 10, 1566 V.S. at-theħands of Shri Jayakalyāņa sūri, the chief disciple of Shri Kamala-kalasha sūri, when a big festival was celebrated by Samghavī Āsā, a cousin brother of (son of Sonā, the uncle of) Samghavi Sahasā. The image and possibly the shrine itself was the work of the artist Depā, the son of Vāchchhā, of Arbuda, the son of Depā and of Haradāsa, the son of Arbuda. An inscription to this effect is carved on the pedestal of the image.
Sahasā spent lacs of rupees in building the shrines and in leading a Samgha of pilgrims to Achalagadh where the consecration ceremony was performed with great pomp. 1
Since it is a Chaumukha shrine, the central object of worship is a Chaumukha Jina sculpture, with four Jina figures having a Jina facing each of the four directions. The image facing the eastern entrance is again a big metal sculpture of Shri Adishvara, which according to the
· The mūlanāyaka image, installed by Sahasā in the Chaumukha shrine, is a cast metal sculpture weighing 120 maunds, the details regarding its installation etc., noted here, are furnished by inscription no. 464, Abu Vol. II.
1 This conclusion is drawn from the reference, by Shri Shilavijaya in his Tirthamälā (composed in V.S. 1746) verse 45, to tbe distribution of one lac coins amongst servants, worshippers and beggars during the ceremony. Moreover, building a shrine on such a lofty hill-top would naturally involve great cost: .: According to the Guruguņaratnākara-kāvya (sarga 3) Sahásā built the shrine on the advice of the monk Shri Sumatisundara, with the special permission of Maharăv Läkbă of Sirohi. This is obviously a mistake, as he must be Jagamåla, who, as we have seen, ruled from V. S. 1540 to 1580, and the consecration took place in V. S. 1566. ,
