Jain Digest 2015 06

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

Page 47

JAIN DIGEST
Youth Wing, Ladies Wing and Vadil Mandal. All three branches are very active and hold programmes regularly. Navnats also give large sums of money in various charities every year.
Mahavir Foundation: The organisation was founded in 1987 and has made a considerable progress. Its main success lies in establishing a temple in Kenton area. This is the area where many Jains live in about 5 miles radius of the temple. This is the reason the attendance in this temple is maximum. Mul-nayak is Mahavir Swami. Other pratimaji's are Aadinath Bhagvan, Munisuvrat Swami, Parshvanath Bhagvan, and Simandhar Swami. Other dev-devis are- Padmavati Devi, Saraswati Devi, Veer Manibhadra, Ghantakarna Mahavir. Nakoda Bhairavii. All pratimaji's Anjan Shalaka vidhi were performed in India. Parshvanath Bhagvan and Mahavir Swami's idols are very old and has certain aura around the idols. There is also a murti of Gautam Swami and large Patt of Shatrynjaya, Sammet shikhar and Girnarji Tirth.
Jain Net-Work: Jain Net-Work has purchased a large building in the Colindale area of London and planning permission has been obtained to build a Shikharbandh temple there. The building will comprise of a temple, carpark, Interfaith Centre and Upashraya plus some residential accommodation.
Other organisations like Bhakti Mandal, Vanik Associations of UK, East London and Essex Jain Sangh, Shri Navyug Jain Pragati Mandal, Veerayatan UK and Jain Vishva Bharati (JVB) do good activities. Veerayatan runs Jain School for children and adults. JVB's Sharmanijies teach Preksha meditation to Jains and non-Jains alike. Institute of Jainology: Now I want to mention a Jain Organisation which has made its mark in the UK and abroad.
This is Institute of Jainology. IOJ has done tremendous progress in promoting Jainism to the main stream people of the UK. IOJ has carried out and almost completed a big project of digitising and cataloguing of Jain Manuscripts preserved in the UK. It is a remarkable achievement. IOJ was the first to present a Jain Declaration on Nature' in a big ceremony held in the Buckingham Palace. A Jain Holy book Tattvartha sootra (That Which is) was translated and published by the IOJ after painstaking efforts. IOJ has also helped in promotion of Jain arts in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. IOJ's progress is remarkable and praiseworthy.
Prince Charles visited Jain Temple in UK Jan.2015
Dr. Kapasi is the founder trustee and now the president of Mahavir Foundation - a registered charity established in 1987.
Vinod Kapasi was also the founder president of Jain Social Group, Middlesex. Dr. Kapasi was chosen to speak in the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago, 1993.
47 1 MAY-JUN 2015