Jains Win Kundalpur Statue Case Against ASI

TOI

 NEW DELHI: In what is being widely perceived as a major win for the Jain community, the Madhya Pradesh high court has permitted a Jain trust to preserve an ancient 15-ft statue of deity Lord Adinath.

Situated in Kundalpur near Damoh in MP, the deity, popularly known as 'Bade Baba', forms part of a group of temples scattered over an area of nearly 200 acres dating back to the 6th-7th century AD and is revered for religious significance.

A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sushil Harkauli and Justice Alok Aradhe recently dismissed the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) ownership claim over the deity and the temple and concluded that ownership vested with the state government since the ASI had never staked claim after independence.

The HC also took into account the fact highlighted by former solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam, representing the trust, that historical records showed the temple in question was looked after well and preserved by the community and had never been in possession of the ASI.

He further argued that the temples were not accorded the status of national heritage, on the contrary, it has a religious importance.

The ASI filed a petition in 2006, requesting to stop construction of temple on the Kundalpur temple premises and hand over the idols found during construction work. In its plea, the ASI claimed Lord Adinath's idol and the temple signified archaeological importance and rights should be provided to it for its preservation. It accused the state and the trust of eyeing the area to carry out mining and quarrying activity but failed to substantiate the same.

Rejecting ASI's claim, the HC granted nod to 'Bade Baba Digambar Jain Temple Trust' for construction work provided it obtained permission from the state government within two months.

Radha Krishna Idol in Jain Temple| Secularism or Cowardness?

Radha Krishna Idol in Jain Temple| Secularism or Cowardness?

According to news published in Gujarati and Marathi dailies, an idol of Radhakirshna was established in a Jain temple at Mumbai.

The news says that it is first time that a non-Jain idol was established in a Jain temple.

This temple is situated at Pawandham in Mahaveer Nagar area of Kandivali. The idol was established in presence of Jain monk Namramuni and Vaishnavite Acharyas Dvarakesh Lal and Yadunath.

This idea was promoted by Kapol International Trade Entrepreneurs.

The news says that it will promote secularism.

My comments:
Well, if these Jains really love secularism, they should establish idols of Gautam Buddha, Shiv Shankar, Jesus and Mary etc. also. They should not hesitate to put photographs of Mecca and Madina on the walls in the temple. But they will never do it. Their so called secularism is limited to Vaishnavites. Many members of the sect involved in such activities are Hindutwa minded and work according to the wish of RSS. Such Jains are always under pressure of Bramhinism.

Finally, RSS won! A secret letter of RSS circulated in 1994 said that idols of Rama or Krishna should be established in Jain temples. Now these Jains have actually fulfilling RSS wish.

Garv Se Kaho Hum Hindu Hai!

-Mahavir Sanglikar

http://mahavir-sanglikar.blogspot.com/
Email: jainway@gmail.com Cell: 91 962 372 5249

Jains dedicate new temple

Jains dedicate new temple

James D. Davis | South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Swamiji Devendrakeerty visited Weston in mid-April to help dedicate the Jain Center of South Florida. (James D. Davis)

Pausing during a recent tour of the new Jain Center of South Florida, K. Depika Dalal gleefully showed off the gleaming white marble idols. Here, a Hindu deity. There, a statue of a Jain master.

"The divisions are like Catholic and Protestant, but not here," Dalal, vice president of the Jain Center, said with a smile. "Here, all souls are equal."

With dedication ceremonies April 17-19, the Jains of South Florida dedicated the only center of its kind south of Tampa.



Taking up 4,000 square feet, the center sits in an office park in Weston, within sight of I-75. The Indian-style interior is covered in white marble from India. Along with its land, the project cost $1.45 million.

Centerpiece is a Gabhara, a covered sanctuary housing three Thirthankars, or enlightened teachers: Adinath, the first; Mahavira, the 24th and most recent, who lived in the sixth century B.C.; and Simandhar, whom Jains foresee as the next Thirthankar.

Another section is for Jains who also honor other streams of the faith. A floor-to-ceiling plaque bears a mantra called Navakar, which believers chant to shed karma and move toward enlightenment. Finally, there's a large photo of Shrimad Rajchendra, a 19th century monk who translated Jain scriptures into the Gujarati language.

At the dedication ceremonies, Jain leaders prayed special mantras over the idols and applied a special saffron paste. Then the idols absorbed spiritual energy and became worthy of worship.

Among the visiting leaders was Swamiji Devendrakeerty, who has helped dedicate 54 temples in a half-dozen countries since 1974. He says it's a measure of the spread of Jains.

"It is important for people to have a place to gather and spend time in holy activities," Devendrakeerty said in an interview. "It builds spirituality and peace of mind."

Like many others from India, the 120 families of the Jain Center work as doctors, engineers, CPAs and businessmen. They are among an estimated 5-6 million believers worldwide, 100,000 in the United States.

Jainism is also among the oldest spiritual heritages, believers say. The religion gained a broader following in the sixth century B.C. under the leadership of Mahavira; but some historians and archaeologists say the Jain approach may go back to prehistoric times.

Dalal, also an associate professor of anesthesiology at the University of Miami, said Hindu and Jain beliefs are similar about matters like reincarnation, but differ on how to reach enlightenment.

For one, she said, Jains don't believe in a supreme being. "There are gods, but there is no creator," she said. "We believe every soul has the potential to reach nirvana."

Another distinction: The path is for all to learn, without a mediator like a god. Even when Jains pray before the idols, they are simply communicating with themselves, said Dr. Mayur Maniar, a board member of the Jain Center.

"Mahavira has become a god, but he cannot give us anything," added Maniar, a neurologist who works in Sunrise and Hollywood. "We are telling our soul that we want to be like him."

Jains live by a strict ethical code dominated by ahimsa, practicing nonviolent deeds, words, even thoughts. They also believe in truthfulness, sexual modesty (or celibacy among monks), avoiding theft or cheating, and detachment from wealth and possessions.

Many Jains are vegetarians; some don't eat root vegetables like potatoes, fearing that digging up the foods will kill small creatures in the soil.

Although the Weston center is new, the congregation goes back to 1980. That year, it helped form the Indian Religious and Cultural Center, including Hindu, Jain and Sikh groups. As the groups grew, though, they divided into congregations.

In 1984, the Jains bought 20 acres on Griffin Road, but ran up against a law in Southwest Ranches that said houses of worship had to be more than 1,000 feet apart. They had better luck in Weston, where they moved in 2006.

Jains lose custody battle of stolen idol of Lord Mahavira

New Delhi, March 18:

The efforts of three Jain temple committees to get a stolen idol of Lord Mahavira for offering prayers did not succeed in a Delhi court which trashed the claim saying it did not belong to them and was the court's property until disposal of the case.

"It (stolen idol) is the case property in the present FIR and its production is very essential for the prosecution case and in such a situation, it would not be appropriate to release the same on the 'superdari' (conditional release)" Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Nivedita Anil Sharma said.

The court said that being followers of the Jain religion did not make the claimants the real owners of the idol.

"Merely because the revisionists are followers of the Jain religion and pray to Lord Mahavira, 24th Trithankar, it cannot be said that the idol should be released in their favour," the court said, adding they were not its owners prior to the alleged theft.

The capital-based Shri Digamber Jain Mandir Management Committee, 1008 Shri Parshvanath Digamber Jain Mandir and Shree Vardman Digamber Jain Mandir Sabha had filed petitions after being denied possession of the idol by a lower court.

The ASJ, however, said the Metropolitan Magistrate may give its custody to the Centre or Archaeological Survey of India in order to maintain and preserve it.

The idol of Lord Mahavira was recovered from accused Manoj Kumar at Maurice Nagar Police station here in 2006 and a case of theft was registered.

The temple committees had approached the court seeking its custody on 'superdari' saying "the Jain community prays to and worships Lord Mahavira and the idol rightfully belonged to them ... it may be handed over to them for performing puja."

The court rejected the claim and said "even otherwise, it is yet to be established if the idol recovered is actually that of Lord Mahavira."

"The committees have not shown anything which could indicate that the right to hold the possession of the idol is vested in them as it is apparently neither they nor the person from whom the idol was stolen are the owner," it said.

The court held that the police, which has to prove the offence of theft and the antique nature of the idol during the trial, was the rightful owner.

Jain Society of Greater Atlanta’s Temple Project

BY MAHADEV DESAI

Atlanta’s Jain Community, which practices Jainism, is a very close knit, progressive, vibrant and well-respected community, whose members have excelled in many fields and have contributed significantly to Georgia’s economy as well as to its cultural diversity. The subcontinent of India, a cradle of civilization is also the birthplace of Jainism. The Jain religion and its philosophy being one of the oldest, predating recorded histories has become one of the essential spiritual traditions of the South Asian religious fabric. Jain Temples have been built in many parts of the world, including the US.

The Jain community in the South East USA too decided to have their own temple.

Jain Society of Greater Atlanta’s (JSGA) dream to build a Spectacular Marble Derasar (Temple) with intricate designs hand carved by some of the greatest craftsmen in Jaipur, India is about to be realized. The project began way back in 1996, with a ritual-studded ground breaking ceremony for the Jain Center / Derasar, with shikhar (dome), pratimajis, auditorium, kitchen, dining hall, library, and accommodation for visiting guests. The ceremony was performed on a 3.75 acre site at 669 South Peachtree St., Norcross, Georgia on Sunday April 5 1996.

In the year 2000, the first phase (main floor) of the Center was built, and in 2001 the second phase (basement) was completed resulting in a two story building of 14,000 plus square feet where the Society’s 400 plus Jain families could meet for regular poojas, bhavanas, pathsala classes, lectures and celebrations of festivals.

The Society is now ready for the third phase; the building of the Temple. Following joint consultations between Sompura in Ahmedabad and local architects, a beautiful design was made and approved by the County in 2006. On auspicious Vijaya-Dashami, the Khat-Mahurat ceremony was performed at the Temple site in October, 2006.

The construction of the Temple began in 2007 and is progressing very well. Sompura is working on the Shikhar, arches, pillars and other delicate marble carvings.

Members of the 2008 Executive Committee; President Deepak Shah, Vice-President Anil Shah, General Secretary Paresh Shah; Treasurer Rajan Doshi,Youth-coordinator Meeta Parikh, and committee members Kiran Shah and Madhuben Sheth briefed the media representatives Mustafa Ajmeri,Ravi Ponangi, Ved Bhatia, Kailash Khandelwal and Mahadev Desai,on the final phase of construction. After a brief tour of the temple site, Deepak Shah and Paresh Shah made a PowerPoint presentation of the proposed construction, and estimated expenditure of the project.

In brief, the Temple will have traditional design including Ghabhara for pratimajis (3 Mul Nayak’s Shwetambar Pratimajis on upper floor) and (3 Mul Nayak’s Digambar Pratimajis on the floor below), Shikhar, Rang mandap, and Bhomati with Murti’s of the 24 Tirthankar. The three main pratimas will be surrounded by 24 tirthankars in a rectangular /stepped semi circle. The marble floor will have a seating capacity of more than 250 devotees. The project is expected to cost ₤ 2.7 million. JSGA seeks to raise this amount through generous individual and corporate sponsors, donations and interest-free loans.

JSGA is extremely grateful to the main sponsors Quantum National Bank. In fact, Quantum National Bank’s Chairman, Dr.Neel Neelagaru, attended the Pooja and Media briefing ceremony accompanied with Ms Deepa Kumari and Vinay Bose and also made a donation. Other major sponsors so far are Patel Brothers; MGR Palace, Nobel Investments, Raj Bhog ; Dosa Houze, & Bhindi Jewelers’.

Ancient Abbakkadevi Basadi resurrected

By Team Mangalorean
Photographs: Rajesh Shetty

ULLAL, March 21, 2008: The 16th century old Chowta Rani Ullal Abbakkadevi Basadi a hallowed place of worship has been renovated and is ready to be handed over the Ullal people according to the chairman of the Apex Bank of Karnataka and a prominent Jain leader M.N. Rajendra Kumar here today.

Addressing a press conference here today Mr.Kumar stated that the 500 year old Basadi was a revered praying shrine for the Jains of Dakshina Kannada. This shrine is stated to have received the queen of Ullal Abbakka Rani during her life time in 16th century.

Mr.Kumar said as a sign of completion of the renovation the ritualistic programmes including "panchakalyan mahotsav", will be held for five days starting from March 23. Mr. Kumar outlining the works taken up by the Trust of the shrine said that the shrine had artistically beautiful depiction of Parshwanath and Aadinatha carved in black granite which had however been mutilated during the last five hundred years. But the Trust had taken pains to replace the idols with the same beauty and same material. The shrine now wears the historical splendour Mr.Kumar added.

Mr.Kumar acknowledging the phenomenal interest shown by the Dharmadhikari of Dharmasthala Dr. Veerendra Heggade said that the Dharmotthana Trust of the Dharmasthala temple had taken personal interest in renovating the shrine. However the minor shrine outside the main Shrine belonging to the Kshetrapala has been renovated with the help from the people he added. Charukirthi Panditacharyavarya swamiji of the Moodbdiri Jain Math will perform the Panchakalyana ritual on that day he informed.

Structure with artefacts found below Paharpur site temple

Archaeologists have found another ancient brick-built structure with floor and artefacts under the basement of the main temple at world heritage site Paharpur.

Earlier, two brick-built structures of Gupta dynasty were found during an excavation, according to archaeologists of the Department of Archaeology.

Dr Md Shafiqul Alam, director, Department of Archaeology, said the recently excavated structures were built in pre-Pal period.

"Most probably the structure of temple was built by followers of Jain religion," Alam added.

Nahid Sultana, custodian, Rabindra Kacharibari, Sirajganj and member of the excavation team, said the 2.1-metre width brick-built structure crossed the basement of the main temple built by King Dharmapala in the eighth centaury.

The structure was found in the northeast corner of more than 1,200 years old main temple "Somapura Maha Vihara", which is locally known as Paharpur Monastery.

Md Mahabub-ul-Alam, assistant custodian, Paharpur Museum and excavation team member, said a huge number of potsherds have been found under the monastic cell no-21 in the northeast corner of the Vihara.

Probably, these were used over 1,500 years ago, said Mahabub, adding that it is likely to be the first habitation over the virgin soil in this area.

World famous archaeologist Dr KN Dikshit believes there was a Jain monastery at Paharpur but no traces have survived.

Archaeologists of the archaeology department believe the recently discovered structure was the part of the Jain temple.

There has so far been no structural existence of Jain temples in Bangladesh. But Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang saw several Jain structures during his visit to Pundranagar in Bogra and adjacent areas in 639-645 AD, said Mahabub.

Temple tries again to secure visas

As a Jain house of worship sits unfinished in Bartlett, officials scale back request to allow stonemasons from India into the U.S.

By Russell Working Tribune reporter

March 19, 2008

Over the last 19 months, officials of the Jain temple in Bartlett have spent $35,000 on lawyers and fees in an attempt to import five skilled stonemasons from India to help assemble a new house of worship.

They sent a consultant to Delhi, built a chain-link fence around a stack of marble carvings in the parking lot, and pleaded with immigration authorities for an answer.

Their first attempt to get visas for the workers failed, so temple officials have started the process again, with a smaller request. They found an Indian immigrant in Detroit who is a skilled temple stonemason, meaning visas are needed for just four craftsmen.

The renewed effort comes as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is considering amending regulations for religious worker visas. Hindus and Jains say current regulations are geared toward Judeo-Christian faiths, with an emphasis on priests, cantors and even ritual slaughter supervisors rather than stone carvers.

The Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago is one of a number of Indian religious centers from New York to Hawaii that have struggled to get government approval to bring in the silpis, or stone carvers, who are needed to construct their intricate temples.

For the Jains in Bartlett, the delays resulted in reduced donations, as the leadership was expecting $2 million to $3 million to pour in after the temple dedication. Members are reluctant to give money when they see no progress.

"It's just a nightmare," said Prabodh Vaidya, chairman of the board of trustees.

The federal government is redefining religious workers in ways officials believe may better take into account the concerns of Eastern faiths. In the past, there was a problem with bogus applications, with a government study finding a 33 percent fraud rate, according to Citizenship and Immigration Services.

"The goal is to eliminate the fraud," said CIS spokeswoman Mary Lou Cabrera.

Some temples already are seeing a change in attitude. Construction had stalled last year at Kauai's Hindu Monastery in Hawaii, said Sannyasin Arumugaswami, managing editor of Hinduism Today Magazine. But during a visit to India in February, Arumugaswami said a U.S. official told him to resubmit the documents for the stone carvers, saying it would henceforth consider silpis as religious workers.

The key to the temples' argument is that, although the silpi is not a cleric, he sees his calling as a religious duty in the way a nurse in a Roman Catholic hospital might.

"They say: 'This is our dharma. This is our god-given work," he said. "They take their shoes off before they go to work at the temple. They worship their tools before they start the day. There's an annual festival which is to bless the tools and the work site."

George R. Willy, a Houston attorney who was serving as a consultant for the Bartlett temple in the previous case, said it usually takes a few weeks for a visa to be accepted or denied. But his office spent months trying to pry an answer out of U.S. officials in India.

"In Delhi, we tried and we tried and we tried, and nothing happened," Willy said. "And these officials don't even give these folks [at the temple] even a word about what they were up to and why they were not issuing it."

Before, the temple tried to bring in the workers through an Indian-American contractor. Since that approach failed, they now plan to apply directly to bring in the workers while also hiring the man in Detroit.

"I can control only things that I do," Vaidya said. "I cannot control what other people do. Eventually we have to get this done. And somehow or other, we will get this done."

rworking@tribune.com

Jain Temple at Zira Town: a Symbol of Communal Harmony

Ferozepur, Feb 19 (ANI): Jain Swetambar Temple in Zira town in Punjab's Ferozepur District is visited by Sikhs and Hindus, besides Jains.

For the villagers, the temple is looked upon as a place of worship where one can offer prayers anytime.

"Sikhs have bonds with people of all religions, including Muslims and Hindus. Though we pray in a gurudwara, we also visit temple and mosques," said Swaran Singh, a villager.
A few Jain families in Zira look after the temple, but pilgrims and saints of various faiths and religions visit this temple.

"We have visited Gujarat, Maharastra, Saurashtra, Rajasthan and Punjab. Punjab holds a special attraction for us. One gets the true picture of love and affection here. Be it a Sikh, a Jain or a non-Jain, all meet together like brothers and sisters. Forgetting caste and religion, each one behaves like a human being. Each one here spreads love among the people considering it as a duty," said Sadhvi Priya Dharma, a Jain guru.

The temple was constructed in 1890. The paintings on the walls of the temple speak of the ancient Jain culture and history. It is named after the 23rd Tirthankra Parsavnathji Maharaj. The main idol is believed to be one of most sacred and ancient.

Vijayanand Suriji Maharaj, the first guru of the 'Mandir Margi' sect of the Swetambars was born here in 1837. He advocated the worship of idols.

Maharaj, who was also a scholar poet and a social reformer of his time, performed the holy 'partishthas' ceremony at this temple in 1896 A.D.

While the Jains make up only 0.4 per cent of the country's population, their contribution to culture and society in India have been considerable. (ANI)

Jain Temple IIT Powai Celebrating 32nd Anniversary

By: Pramod Chavan

Powai - 17 February 08 :

When we hear the name Powai our mind immediately conjures up images of a the famous IIT, tall and imposing buildings, a beautiful and self sufficient township called Hiranandani Gardens, L&T and many other such aspects which are typically Powai. This bustling suburb of Mumbai houses a population mix of all religions and corresponding to it also as many temples, mosques, churches and gurudwaras etc. The Jain Mandir of Powai is celebrating its 32nd Anniversary this year so let's find out a little about this place of worship in our neighbourhood.

In the year 1972 Jain Guru Vijay Dharam happened to pass through the area of old Powai and being tired started looking around for a place to rest for a while. That was the time he spotted this Jain kutir, he rested there for some time and told the people of Jain samaj present there that there should be a Jain mandir at this place. There were some Jain-Kacchi families who had been living in Powai since more than 45 years took it upon themselves to build a Jain temple there. When the mandir was completed in 1975-76 they installed a statue of Jain Guru Shantinath and marble statues of 7 Gurus especially brought from Rajsthan. The Mandir is made of marble and its walls are adorned with the various religious places of the Jain community.

Presently the Jain Temple and Kacchi Bhavan built over a fairly large area, comprises idols of Adya Guru Shantinath Ki pramukh Pratima and also idols of Parshvnath Swami, Mahavir Swami, Neminath Swami, Vasupuj Swami, Adeshwar Swami, Munisurat Swami. The gates of the temple opens with the first rays of the sun light, early in the morning, and remains open till 12 noon, then it is closed from 12 noon till 4 in the evening and closes its gates finally at 8pm. They have the Swetambar Puja first thing in the morning and the work of the temple begins after that. After this devotees keep pouring in for their daily prayers and blessings.

Another special feature of this Jain Mandir is the four storeyed Kacchi Bhavan which was built as a result of the inspiration of the Jain-Kacchi Acharya. This Kacchi Bhavan was built 9 years back and every day there is some programme or the other for the benefit of the samaj. This Mandir and Kacchi Bhavan is open to everyone but there are some rules and regulations which have to be followed once you enter their premises. These have been laid out to protect the religious sentiments of the community. No edible items are allowed inside the temple, even when there is any programme or puja the Prasad is also supposed to be brought outside the premises and had.

About three years back this Mandir has started a Medical Trust called the Shantinath Medical Trust. All the medical services in this Trust are made available to the general public at the least cost possible. It has been formed for the poor and less fortunate who would other wise not be able to bear the high medical expenses.

In the monsoon they have a variety of programme for eight days during which a number of Jains hold fasts and don't partake anything except water. They have grand pujas in the Mandir at that time and people from all over participate in it. Besides the Mandirs Anniversary is celebrated every year in a grand way and the flag on top of the dome of the temple is changed. This is called 'Chadhava'. The Jain community attaches a lot of significance and importance to this ceremony and every year this honour is specially given to different families.

Presently more than 60 Jain families reside in Powai who enjoy the facilities, benifits and the joy of worship at this Temple but besides them families from Chandivali, Mulund, Bhandup, Sakinaka also come here for worship. When the Jain sadhus are traveling they make it a point to stop at this temple and take the blessings of their Gods. The trust of this Mandir is sending out an open invitation to one and all to come and visit the Mandir on the occasion of its 32nd Anniversary.