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details of his ancestors are known from either literary or epigraphical sources. Only two inscriptions80 dated V.E. 1509 and 1536 are known regarding these Bhansalis, from Jaisalmer. The Kharatargachchha sources mention the name of Nala Shah Bhandashalik, who spent lavishly on the Patotsava - celebration of Jin-bhadra Suri. But we can not associate these earlier families with Thiru Shah. His father's name was Shrimal, and mother's name Champal devi. During Akbar's reign, Jaisalmer had close contacts with other parts of country, especially with Sind, Multan as well as Iran and Afghanistan. Therefore, business was good and lucrative. The main activities of Thiru Shah, as mentioned in inscriptions are as under :
(i) Renovation of the Chintamani Parshwanath temple81 at Lodrava, was done in V.E. 1675. Construction work in fact, continued for several more years. The Toran was added in 1693. And a few more icons were set up in that year.
(ii) The Sangh-yatra to82 Shatrunjay etc. was performed in V.E. 1682 under the instructions of Jinraj Suri of Kharatargachchha. At Shatrunjay, the footprints of 24 Tirthankars and 1452 Ganadhar's were installed.
A Granthalaya was83 established by him at Jaisalmer, which still has a good collection of the manuscripts.
Thiru Shah had two wives named Kanakdevi and Suhag devi from whom, he had a daughter named Veera and sons named Harraj, Meghraj, Bhojraj and Sukhmal.
Family of Muhnot Nenasi :
Muhnot Nenasi is quite famous as an important historian of Rajasthan. The progenitor of this family was Mohanji, who according to G.H. Ojha was the son of Raypal Rathor of Marwar. The
80. ibid No. 2328 and 2427. 81. ibid No. 2543, 2544, 2562. 2566, 2567, 2568-2573. 82. E. I. Vol. II No. 26/Jin Vijay No. 26. 83. A Catalogue of Prakrit and Sanskrit MSS,-Jaisalmer Collection pp. 364.
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