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Jain Diaspora
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under the leadership of Jain Center of southern California representatives of various Jain centers of NY, Washington DC, San Francisco etc. held a first ever Jain convention in Los Angeles. Acharya Sushilkumarji arrived in the USA in 1975. Chitrabhanuji and Sushilkumarji met again in 1983 and together formed JAINA. This was going to be the organizations of all the Jain Sanghs in North America representing all the Jains without any distinction of sect, languages or the regions they came from. Over the years, JAINA has served its members through 26 committees like Education, pilgrimage, world community service, matrimonial, scholar visitation, calendars, Academic Liaison committee and youth organizations YJA and YJP.
This singular event, formation of a national organization of Jains early on in the era of immigration to North America is the reason for a model unity of Swetambers, Digambers, Sthanakwasis, Terapanthis, followers of Shrimad Rajchandraji and followers of Dada Bhagwan. The first two leaders of the community (Gurudev Shri Chitrabhanuji and Acharya Shri Sushilmuniji) forged a durable and fruitful partnership and preached unity of Jains in creating JAINA but did not take any position in the organization. This unity has made JAINA a premiere organization in the world as it stands foremost for the unity of Jains. As their numbers grew and obtained their Masters and Doctoral degrees, got jobs, married and started to raise their families, bought homes – they felt it important to build their own places of worships. Some communities built their own Jain Temples; some built combined Hindu Jain Temples. Most of the Jain Temples in North America are composite Swetamber, Digambar and Sthanakwasi establishments. Acharya Sushilkumarji, a Sthanakwasi, broke with traditions and had his followers build SIDDHACHALAM - a 100 acre Ashram in Pocono mountains region in NJ with a huge Temple with Swetamber and Digambar idols. Presently, Siddhachalam is building a replica of Shri Sametshikharji that will be a must visit Temple for all he Jains visiting America.
First generation of Jains jokingly identify themselves as having arrived in America with just $ 8.00 in their pocket but in the last 50 years they have established 67 Jain centers in US and Canada and invested over Two Million Dollars to build about 50 Jain Temples. Some of these Temples are world-class temples and worthy of being called Tirthbhoomies of the western world.
Jains of America did not just build Temples. They created a robust program of inviting Jain Scholars to the various centers for religious discourses. Bandhu Triputi, Pandit Dhirajbhai Mehta, Bhattarakji of Moodbidri, Humcha and Shravan Belgoda, Hukamchandji Bharil, Sagarmal Jain, Acharya Chandanaji, Sunandaben Vora, Dr. Kumarpal Desai, Dr. Jitendra B. Shah, Rakeshbhai Jhaveri, Tarlaben Doshi and many others have
