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Part IV. Rise and Glory
to a temple and an image of Lord Parshvanath was installed as a principal deity on January 24, 1924. In 1927 the Sangh started Jain Pathshala. In 1936, a parcel of land was purchased on Longoni Road and in 1938 a domed Jain temple was opened with image of Lord Parshvanath as the principal deity. A magnificent new Jain temple was completed in 1963, which is run by the Sangh. It also operates a guesthouse, a library, Jain religion classes, a secular nursery and a primary school (Maniben Meghji Pethraj Shah Primary School).
Nairobi; In 1918, the first Oshwal institution in Nairobi called Visa Oshwal Jain Gnan Vardhak Mandal was established after the hard work of Fulchand Karamshi Shah and his brother Raichand Karamshi Shah, Devji Hirji Shah was elected the first president. Religious functions were arranged and celebrated under this organization. As there was no community-owned building the religious classes and language classes in English and Gujarati were conducted in the evening in shops owned by Oshwals. The association was officially registered in 1921. In 1925 a building was rented opposite the Queen's Garden (Jeevanji Gardens) on Moktar Dada Street. In 1927 a small religious shrine was built on one corner of Jainshala Hall. In 1928, Fulchand Karamshi Shah brought a metal image from Mumbai for the shrine. This was the beginning of religious activities. In 1957, a small domed Temple was built on the Canal Road land. On August 22, 1957, the auspicious last day of Paryushan, marble images of Shri Mahavir Swami, Shri Adeshvar Prabhu and Shri Shantinath Prabhu were installed. Vershi Mepa Shah and his family donated the images.
No religious teacher or monk had then visited East Africa. The Mombasa Jain association (Shri Svetamber Deravashi Jain Sangh) contacted a Jain organization back in India and sent an invitation for a monk's visit to East Africa. On their request Yati Shri Hemchandraji and Yati Shri Fulchandji accepted the invitation. In 1946 Yati Shri
