For the past two weeks, members of the Jain community have been holding demonstrations across the nation in support of two holy sites:
Sammed Shikhar on Parasnath Hill in Jharkhand and Shetrunjaya Hill in Palitana in Gujarat.
While the dispute in Gujarat centres on the vandalization of a temple and related security issues, the one in Jharkhand is over the designation of Parasnath Hill as a tourist destination and an eco-sensitive zone.
Sammed Shikharji
Sammed Shikharji is located in the Giridih district of Jharkhand on the Parasnath Hills.
The highest peak in Jharkhand is called Parasnath.
For followers of the Digambara and Svetambara sects of Jainism, it is the most important place of pilgrimage.
Atop Parasnath Mountain is where Shikharji Temple is located.
20 of the 24 Jain tirthankaras are thought to have meditated here and obtained “moksha,” or salvation.
The Jain writing Jnatrdharmakatha has the first mention of Shikharji as a site of pilgrimage.
One of the twelve foundational scriptures of Jainism is the Jnatrdharmakatha (also known as 12 Angas).
This location is also referenced in the Prvanthacarita, a biography of Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara, written in the 12th century.
Significance of Sammed Shikharji
The Shatrunjay Temple, situated in Palitana, in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, is one of the biggest and most revered temples for the Jain community.
Rishabha, the first Tirthankara of Jainism, delivered his first speech in the temple on the mountaintop, sanctifying the numerous shrines that make up the holy site.
The founder of Jainism, Adinath (also known as Rishabha), is claimed to have meditated at the top under a rayan tree.
The Shatrunjaya Hill Palitana temples were constructed over a 900-year period beginning in the 11th century.
The first temples on this property were constructed by famous Jain patron Kumarpal Solanki.
The holy day of Kartik Purnima sees a particularly heavy congregation at the temple.
Members of Jain community are protesting in masses in various parts of the country over demands related to two Jain holy sites.
The Jharkhand government designated the Parasnath region, in the Giridih district, as a “tourism destination” in February 2019.
The hill was designated an eco-sensitive zone in August 2019 by the Union Environment Ministry, which also noted that the region has enormous potential to sustain growing eco-tourism.
Members of the Jain community claim that neither the state nor the federal government contacted them before designating the hill as a tourist destination and eco-sensitive zone.
They are opposed to these actions for the following reasons:
- The choice to make the location a tourist attraction will have an effect on the site’s sacredness because visitors here on vacation will be seeking entertainment.
- The religious sensibilities of the community will be affected by various tourist-promoting activities in the area, such as the sale of meat, alcohol, and other goods.
- Declaring the hill an eco-sensitive zone presents another issue because Jains do not want locals employed at their sacred location through the establishment of chicken farms, etc.
Gujarat Incident
The Jain community staged a protest in Gujarat to demand action against opportunistic individuals they claim are desecrating the revered Shetrunjaya Hills.
Vandals damaging a temple’s steps and pole in Palitana, Shatrunjaya Hills, were captured on CCTV TV.
Shetrunjaya hill and the vicinity must be maintained in order to preserve its holiness, according to the Jains. In the vandalism case, they also demand more investigation.
