________________
Jain Diaspora
333
stormy sea of Socotra and by bombardment of Japanese. Not until the advent of Uganda Railway in 1850, did the Jain traders moved on the mainland of Kenya and Tanzania.
Today, there is a very vibrant Jain community in Nairobi (25,000) consisting mostly of Halari Visa Oswals who came here about 100 years ago. Many of their descendants have moved to Britain or other western countries. In Nairobi, there is a huge Visha Oshwal center and a beautiful Muni suvratswami marble Temple established in 1984. There is a Digamber Temple, Sthanaks and four other Derasars in Nairobi. Also there are Beautiful Jain Temples in Mombasa, and one in Thika - all in Kenya. There is one Jain Temple in Dar-es-Salaam, one in Arusha and one full fledge Ghar Derasar in Dar-es-Salaam - all in Tanzania. There are 2 Jain Temples in Zanzibar and one upashraya. :
Nepal : Nepal has about 6,000 Jains of all the sects. There is one unified Temple in Kathmandu, 3 Km from the airport in a Pagoda style. Established in 1979, on the ground floor is a Digamber Temple and Terapanth place for worship and on first floor is a Swetamber Temple. There is Jain Bhavan next to it and rooms for pilgrims.
Persian Gulf Countries : Total Jain population in the Gulf countries is about 6,000 half of them in the UAE countries. The migration to the gulf countries started in late 1970's. In the entire gulf countries public gatherings for Propagation of non-Islamic religion is not allowed and citizenship is rarely granted except high profile individuals who may have contributed greatly to the state. Never the less there are 5 or 6 Ghar Derasars in Dubai and one in Oman. But the Jain population particularly in Dubai is rising since 2006 as Diamond Merchants from Belgium and India have set up their offices attracted by friendly economic policies of the state.
Hong Kong : There are about 2,000 jains in Hong Kong. There is a Swetamber Temple of Adinath in a flat on 7th floor of a downtown building.
Malayesia : Some of the Jains arrived in Malayesia way back in 15th and 16th century in Malacca. Today there are almost 3,000 jains in Malayesia and has a Shri Parshwanath Temple in the city of Ipoh that was built in 2003 with inspiration from Pujya Shri Jinchandraji Maharaj.
Thailand : There are 600 Jain families in Thailand with both Digamber and Swetamber Temples. Most of the Jains here are in Diamond and Jewelry business. Mahidol University in Bank Cong has a major Jain studies program in conjunction with International School for Jain Studies.
Singapore : Migration to Singapore started around 1910. In 1972, the Singapore Jain Religious Society was formed and in 1978 purchased the land
