________________
Pran Pratishtha of Jain deities at the Shiv Mandir in Niagara Falls, Canada
T
he year 2004 has been a very remarkable one for the Niagara Hindu Samaj (NHS), Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The year saw the completion of the Mandir's Murti project, which began with the Pran Pratishtha of Devi Mata and culminated recently with the Pran Pratishtha of Lord Parshvanath and Lord Mahavir. The consecration of the Jain deities represents not only an important milestone in the ongoing cooperation between the Hindu and Jain communities of the Niagara region, but is also an acknowledgement of our common heritage of Sanatan Dharma. This report is a
summary of the milestones achieved in this process.
The process of unifying of the Hindu and Jain communities of Niagara was initiated as a result of the far-sightedness of Dr. Udayan Rege. In September 1985, on Ganesh Chaturthi, Dr. Rege formed a steering committee of three people to explore the possibility of establishing a place of worship in the Niagara Region. At about the same time, Acharya Sushil Kumar Ji and some members of the Jain community held a meeting in St. Catharines to explore the idea of a place of worship for the Jain community.
Dr. Udayan Rege continued working on the project for many years with the support of members of the Niagara Hindu Samaj. In 1999, the Samaj raised sufficient funds to purchase the property at 5284 Second Avenue, Niagara Falls, which developed later into the Shiv Mandir. Bhoomi Puja at the property was performed by Dr. Budhendranath Doobay of the Vishnu Mandir, Richmond Hill, Toronto, in April 2001.
be determined through a process of consensus. The opportunity to realize the dreams of Dr. Udayan Rege and Acharya Sushil Kumar Ji was now within reach!
At a meeting of prominent members of the Jain community from Toronto, Hamilton, St. Catharines, and Welland in Canada; and Buffalo in New York, a model representing Jain deities consistent with the Shwetamber, Digamber, and Sthanakvasi traditions was presented and approved. The size of the Jain deities was comparable to that of the Hindu deities.
The main area of Shiv Mandir the sanctum sanctorum is approximately six hundred square feet. In accordance with the vision of Dr. Rege, a mutually agreeable sharing of this area between deities belonging to both the Hindu and Jain traditions was essential for the Mandir. A lot of thought went into placing the Murtis at the right place on the same stage. We all know that God is One-this is a universal Truth. However, we all pray, meditate and worship somewhat differently. A lot of effort went into locating the Murtis correctly, so that all memdbers of our two communities may follow the rites and rituals of their traditions in peace and mutual harmony.
Despite one's best intentions, real life always has a way of making itself felt! Our Murti supplier, made a crucial error of judgment. The Murti of Lord Mahavir was supposed to be in the Shwetamber tradition, and even our own extensive research did seem to indicate that it was indeed so. However, two weeks before the Pran Pratishtha of the Jain moorties, Mrs Lata Champsee, the Vice President of Jaina (Canada) came to the Mandir in an attempt to resolve some issues. She discovered that the Moorti of Lord Mahavir was not really in the true Shwetamber tradition. Although it did appear that the Murti possessed some Shwetamber symbols (Lakshans), in reality it was Digamber in character. Not surprisingly, this discovery came as somewhat of a shock to the community, which now found itself in a very difficult situation. She sat through the afternoon and talked to all the murti donors and Shiv Mandir trustees and proposed them to place a proper Shwetamber Murty. Perhaps we would have continued with the Pran Pratishtha of Lord Mahavir's Moorti had we been unaware of the error, but now it was necessary for us to act, and time was of the essence! Fortunately for us, Mr. Dilip V. Shah of Philadelphia stepped into the breach by coordinating the airlifting of the appropriate Murty of Lord Mahavir
3WINTER 2005
In September 2002, after extensive renovations and the appointment of Pandit Ramesh Chand as Resident Priest, the Samaj initiated the Murti Sthapna Project with Mr. Kamal Jain as Project Manager. It was a very involved project, not least because the selection of the Murtis and their sizes were to
For info on 2005 convention log on www.jaina.orate & Personal Use Only
