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AHIMSA TIMES - NOVEMBER 2008 ISSUE - www.jainsamaj.org
shining example of Unity with Diversity for the Jain Community of Greater Atlanta. Please visit www.jsgatemple.org contact Mr. Mahendra Dosi E-Mail: mkdosi@hotmail.com for more information.
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The Jain Center of Greater Phoenix will be celebrating their Pratishta Mahotsav from Dec 20, 2008 to Dec 26, 2008. The JCPG is another example of a new Jain Temple in the USA to be built based on the philosophy of Unity with Diversity. The JCGP will be the first temple in the USA with a 41 feet white marble Manasthambh and a Toran Dwara made of pink sandstone. The large JCGP temple complex will have in its main worshipping hall two sections. On the left will be a Mulynayak of Bhagwan Shri Mahavirswami in Digamber tradition and on the right will be a Mulynayak of Bhagwan Shri Adinathswami in Swetamber tradition. In the middle section will be the Namokar Mantra etched in colored stained glass. On either side will be smaller murthis of all the 24 Thirthankar Bhagwan. On the left side there will be 12 murthis in Digamber tradition and on the right side there will be 12 murthis in Swetamber tradition. The unique architectural design of this complex is a shining example of Unity with Diversity for the Jain Community of Greater Phoenix. Please visit www.jcgp.org or contact Dr. Dilip Bobra of Phoenix at E-Mail: dkbobra@gmail.com for more information.
JAIN TEMPLE IN GUJARAT COLLECTS MILLIONS AS OFFERINGS MAHUDI (Gandhinagar )There was no sign of recession here. The annual offering at Ghantachakra Mahavir temple touched an astronomical sum of Rs 1 crore this year, with money pouring in from devotees who congregated from all over the world. One devotee who refused to be named, offered a whopping Rs 6.66 lakh for being the first to perform annual puja. Mahudi, famous for its temple and Sukhdi, a sweet dish made of flour, was bustling on Monday since dawn, with devotees of Ghantakarna Mahavir swami pouring in for the grand Kali Chaudas puja.
Many devoted businessmen regularly keep a share in their profits for Ghantachakra Mahavir and after annual closing of their accounts, they visit this place and donate the amount of profit in cash which is accrued in the name of the deity. They have a strong belief that the amount donated in the name of deity will help in doubling or trebling their profits in the next year.
According to the management trustees, over 1.5 lakh people attended the mega event. Visitors started pouring in from early morning. The deity of the temple is one of 52 veer of Jains. We schedule the havan (offering) to vijay muhurt, 12.39 pm every year. We select around 15 to 20 members for the havan. Every year, for those 20 members, we get around 20,000 applications. Most of the times, we get large number of entries from Mumbai, Kutch, Palanpur and Ahmedabad, said one of the trustees. The main attraction of the ritual is the animated auction. According to regular visitors, the traders and well-off citizens used to monopolize the calls but nowadays, friends groups and devotees form a ring and collectively compete with others. According to Prakash Mehta, a trustee of the temple, nothing has affected the annual ritual. In fact, this year, more people participated in the bids and also quoted higher prices. Here, the offering of sukhdi is not allowed to be taken outside the temple premises.
SHIKHAR JI MAHOTSAVA TO BE ORGANISED BY STATE TOURISM DEPARTMENT AT SAMMET SHIKHAR JI - A grand celebration has been planned by the Jharkhand State Tourism Department on 20, 21 and 22nd December, 2008 at Sammet Shikharji. The objective of holding the celebrations is to publicise the place as a big tourist spot and enhance the name and fame of this place not only as a religious place of worship but more as a place of international-level tourist attraction. During the celebrations, a large number of hutments will be put up each, dispaying the traditional art, craft and culture of the region. A near-by tiny village, Singhpur is being developed at a fast pace where a five-star hotel will be built for tourists in due course and permanent hutments, to be used as stalls will be established. The guides for acquainting the tourists will be selected locally and they will be imparted necessary, education and training in tourism at the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi.
RARE JAIN IDOLS DISCOVERED IN RAJASTHAN
A remote outpost in Rajasthan's Tonk district has become a major attraction for
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