ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 01

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 158

merchant Jagadū who owned ships and had maintained a trade post at Ormuz and carried out trade with Persia. Whether such ancient and medieval period migration of Jainas led to the formation of significant diasporic communities is not known. What is known with some certainty is the fact that as early as in 1549 Ormuz had a small colony of the Jainas and Hindus who were described “as complete vegetarians and worshippers of cows". Historical records of the Jaina rulers from southwestern coastal regions of India show that they not only established a sea-route but also transshipped their commodities. These Jaina officers and merchants thus made large gifts of precious stones and Jaina images to their temples back in their country, and these precious gifts are now vaulted at the Jaina matha in Moodbidri, an important Jaina town from historic times to the present, situated at about thirty miles the Arabian sea coast" (Kumar 1996: 49).
A very small number of Jainas have also been migrating to the West Asian countries, particularly to countries and territories in the Persian Gulf Red Sea region since the second half of the nineteenth century when the region came under the British influence and/or administration and economic opportunities were made available in pearl financing and general trade. Aden, Muscat and Dubai were particularly important in this regard. Subsequent to oil-price hike during the 1970s the Jainas have been migrating in significant numbers to the Gulf countries. In the United Arab Emirates alone some five to eight hundred families/individuals were reported to have been living. Due to restrictions on non-Islamic religions in these countries, there are no organized religious activities in most Gulf countries. Besides the Gulf countries, a small number of Jainas have also migrated to Yemen, Sudan and Ethiopia
International trade in gems and diamonds has led some Jainas to settle in Israel as well as Belgium, South Africa, the U.K. and the U.S.A. "Jaina diamond traders have won major export awards both in India and Israel. Jaina scholars are welcomed in these places and these unique niche business communities are actively involved in philanthropic work"(Shah 1998).
4.2 East Africa Although India's trade relations with East Africa go back to antiquity, the sizeable Indian and particularly the Jaina diaspora could emerge only after the consolidation of British colonial rule in East Africa. Thus a beginning was made in 1899 when two Jainas migrated to settle
STUDY NOTES version 5.0
Page 145 of 317