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PAREHNATH HILL: guaranteed absolute peace throughout AN OFFENSIVE LETTER. the country, for which the blessings TO THE EDITOR OF THE“ Englishman." of the Jains will descend on them in SIR.-For some time I have noticed plentiful aboundance, but in an evil ,
& considerable amount of corresponmoment the proposal went forth to dence appearing in the Englishman' subordinate their religious sentiments to the pressure of public benifit. Ever
regarding Parisnath Hill apparently
all on the Jain's side, and as I supsince the Deputy Commissioner of
pose they have had their say in the Hazaribagh published the notification,
matter, I think it desirable that the embodying his scheme for the leasing
public should know a few facts regard of building sities on the Paresnath
ing this Hill Sanitorium which I can Hill whore, glory would thus be gone;
give them as I had to do with it. and its sanctity vanish the Jains bere
from 1865 to 1873. been filled with feelings alarm and
In a reprint from the Calcutta Reion such as they never ex view covering « Selections fi perienced before under British rule in Records of the Government of Bengal view of the proposed desecration of
on XXXVIII papers relating to a their place of worship, and a sense of
Sanitorium upon Mount Parisnath the gravest disquietude bas taken hold of their minds, It would, ther fore, be 1861," which is in my possession I not to much to see that the authorities
find that the Government of Bengal have been extremely ill advised in laun. for ten years had been receiving reching this irreve proposal which is most ports from their officers as to the suitlikely have the effect of alienating ability of the Hill as & Sanitorium and the good feelings of a powerful and that in 1860 the Lieutenant-Governor wealthy .community. We appeal to accompanied by the Chief Engineer, the Lieutenant Governor to give his the Superintending Engineer, the best thought and consideration to the Commissioner of Chota Nagpur, and points that we have raised in the hope other officers ascended the Hill and that our religious scruples, in spite of lived in tents pitched on level ground their apparent absurdity to Western to the west of highest peak. During eyes will not be set at naught in the their stay the whole of the summit of decision of our rights in the Paresenath the eastern part of the Hill and the Hills. We await His Honor' final neighbouring slopes were inspected orders with intense anxiety, and trust and the Lieutenant-Governor W89 that they may be such as the Jains struck with the number and excello approve of. In subsequent letters, we ence of the building sites on this part propose to discuss the legal aspects of the Hill. of the question that is now under the The Government of Bengal after consideration of Lieutenant-Governcr.
having obtained the sanction of the Yours etc.,
Government of India issued orders to A REPRESENTATIVE JAIN. the P. W. D. to proceed with road
making and Building Work which was
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com