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NOTES AND NEWS.
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Mastakabhishekam which was done in a very methodical manner quite in accordance with the religious rites enjoined in the shastras. Only South Indian Jains witnessed this puja.
In the afternoon there was a meeting of Jain Ladies when the titles of Dhanasila and Jain Mahila Ratna were conferred upon Srimati Kanchanbaiji and Srimati Lalitabaiji respectively.
On the 18th March a grand puja was performed by the zamindar Mr. Anigande Desai.
It is worthy of special mention that among the several pious pilgrims to Sravana Belgola during the recent puja was the far famed and holy Nirgrantha Muni Maharaj Swasti Sri Shantisagara Swamiji whose piety and virtue, whose austere tapas and teachings are too well known to need repetition here. He was accompanied by his muni sanga and it is said that the whole party followed by a host of Sravakas walked the way from Shedbal to Sravana Belgola and vice versa a distance of about 800 miles. The sight of the Nirgrantha (Naked) muni is a very impressive one recalling to our minds similar incidents in the lives of the Tirthankaras.
We shall not be justified in concluding the notes on the Mastakabisheka festival without expressing our heartfelt feelings of joy and thankfulness for all those who have contributed to make the whole function an unique and unqualified success.
First and foremost we take this opportunity to express our heartfelt and respectful feelings of intense gratitude and deep indebtedness for that vastly enlightened, highly talented and supremely virtuous ruler of Mysore, His Highness Sri Krishna Rajendra Wadiyar Bahadur for having very graciously camped at Sravana Belgola itself, with great personal inconvenience for three days and for having most magnanimously opened the All-India Jain Conference, in spite of His Highriess's many and varied private and public activities and for thus having conferred a distinct honour on the entire Jaina Community. It is said that the wireless installation was made accessible to the Puja Committee. Besides we understand that when the Jaina pilgrims visited Mysore on their way home after the puja. His Highness very graciously ordered that
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
