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Their Temples and Sacred Places : 73 some called "siddha-kṣetra" or "nirvāṇa-kṣetra" are places where these or different saints have obtained liberation, some called "atisaya-kṣetra" remember miracles, myths, discoveries of ancient statues hidden in the earth for fear of destruction, others called "kalākṣetra" are famous for their beautiful temples or their particularly expressive and venerated statues.
Let us see successively now several Jain temples and sacred places in North India, South India, and in other countries in the world. Since the year 2000, the Federation of Jain Associations in North America (JAINA) publishes an annual calendar with beautiful coloured photos of Jain temples of India. Some of these photos are mentioned in this book.
1. Their temples and sacred places in North India
Without mentioning too many details, which would made this chapter much heavy, we will cite the main temples and sacred places in Delhi territory, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Himanchal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh, Orissa, Punjab and Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal. Note that Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh and Uttaranchal are new Indian States that have been created by the Government of India in November 2000 by detachment from those earlier associated to them. Note also that other States of this part of India, like Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, etc. for the most in the extreme Northeast of the country, are not mentioned because they have no extended Jain communities with temples.
· DELHI (DILLI) Territory
The capital of India does not possess ancient Jain temples because numerous invaders of that place have destroyed them. Nevertheless, the Web site "www.jainsamaj.org" records 160 more or less recent Jain temples, chapels and "sthānaka" in this vast territory.
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