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0th Anniversary Celebration
Jain Center of New Jersey
1982 - 1992
A DECADE AT JAIN CENTER: PAST AND PRESENT
Religion has always been a part of human existance. In the late sixties and the early seventies many Indian communities started to migrate to the U.S.A. They came not only with spices and books but they also brought their faith with them. Right after the initial settlement in the mid seventies, the Asian community started to organize events like birthday parties, picnics or gettogethers, but they never forgot to organize their religious events.
The Jains were not any different. They held meetings, lectures and prayers on Jainism in their homes or in rented halls. At first these events were sparsely attended, but as each function was successfully held, the awareness of Jainism grew stronger. More and more Jains took interest and expressed their desire to attend future functions. Some of them travelled 400 miles to celebrate the events. A need arose to inform the members of the Center's activities, so a list of Jains in this area was prepared. Concurrently, a discussion to start a Jain center was taking place.
During the year 1977-79, the Center's membership grew larger and Bhagwan Mahavir Jayanti, Mahaparyushan parv, and other events were being celebrated at various churches in New Jersey. The events were performed with such devotion and enthusiasm that members started to think about having their own Center and Temple. Efforts were made to organize Jains in New Jersey. On August 24, 1980 Jain Center of New Jersey was established.
Just two years after establishing the Center, the members' dreams for a temple of worship and to celebrate Jain events came true. The first Jain Derasar in New Jersey was established at 233 Runnymede Road in the town of Essex Fells. With generous contributions from members, the Derasar was opened without any mortgate obligation. Three gracious deities were donated to the temple With Mulnayak PARSHVANATH, LORD MAHAVIR and BHAGVAN RUSHABHDEV. The dream of celebrating Paryushan had come true. Members celebrated the first Paryushan at the Derasar in the summer of 1982.
MEMBERSHIP GROWTH
Jain Center has experienced a tremendous growth in membership during past ten years. Today, the Jain Center has a list of approximately 800 members. The membership has increased from 50 starting member to 800, which shows a 1500% increase in 10 years. Many members are committed for life time. Jain Center of N.J. is one of the largest centers among all Jain Centers in the U.S.A. and CANADA.
CENTER'S RENOVATION
With increased interest in religeous activities, the Center needed a face lift. An air-conditioning system was installed in 1984. Shower facilities were added for those who were interested in puja. The kitchen has been remodeled with automatic fire extinguishing system to facilitate cooking for a large number of people. Recently the front part inside the temple (GABHARA) has been renovated with beautiful marble. The state of the art security system was also installed.
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