Jain Digest 2008 07

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 28

JAIN CENTER OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PRATISHTHA MAHOTSAV
26 SEPTEMBER - 6 OCTOBER, 2008
Chandrakant Parekh
Creating a temple does not entail creating a building. It means creating a sanctuary from where Lord Mahavir's message can be learned and delivered to the world.
I H. Jin Chandraji Maharaj
AAABAHO POOH
From a concept in 1994
To a reality in 2008
THE BEGINNING Jain Center of Southern California (JCSC) located in the City of Buena Park, a suburb of Los Angeles, California, was established on 15 September, 1979 by thirty Jain families with one important mandate - to practice, promote and teach Jainism with no sectarian bias.
THE FIRST JAIN BHAVAN
A challenge posed by Gurudev Chitrabhanuji to build a Jain Center, and encouragement from Acharya Shushilkumarji inspired JCSC to build a custom-designed Jain Bhavan in the City of Buena Park. Built at a cost of about $1 million, the 11,500 sq ft facility with a Derasar and an auditorium addressed the community needs for organizing religious, cultural, educational, and outreach activities. Idols of three Tirthankars - Mahavirswami, Parshvanath, and Rushabhdev - and Ghantakarna Mahavir (Yaksha) and Padmavati (Yakshini) were installed in the Derasar.
JAIN CENTER MASTER PLAN JCSC membership expanded fairly rapidly to nearly 1,000 families and 400 students are enrolled in the Pathshala. With
such a phenomenal growth, a vision to expand the original Jain Bhavan began with the acquisition of several neighborhood properties. A "wish list" compiled from a survey of the member during the 1994 Paryushan overwhelmingly identified a need to expand the Derasar; and build a large meeting hall, more rooms for the Pathshala, Swadhyay and Aradhana
activities, a larger kitchen, a library, and several other amenities including ample parking. With a unified community consensus, JCSC developed a master plan to build a multipurpose Jain Bhavan complex in three-phases:
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