Why Jains are protesting from Jharkhand to Gujarat?

• A 72-year-old Jain monk, who was on a fast against the Jharkhand government’s decision, died on Tuesday in Jaipur
• Thousands of Jains protested against the Jharkhand government’s decision to declare Sammed Shikharji an eco-tourism place
• 85 rallies carried out in different parts of the state seeking action against anti-social elements desecrating the sacred Shetrunjaya Hills

Jharkhand government’s decision to declare ‘sacred’ Shri Sammed Shikharji a tourist place and incidents of allegedly desecrating the sacred Shetrunjaya Hills in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district have triggered anger among the members of Jain community.

Thousands of Jains held protest demonstrations across India on Wednesday against the Jharkhand government’s decision to declare Sammed Shikharji an eco-tourism place.

The Jharkhand government decided to convert the site into a tourist spot as part of its tourism policy which was announced in July 2022. The place is located in the state’s Giridih district. Protestors can be heard chanting mantras in several videos that have gone viral on the social media.#jainprotestinjharkhand #jaincommunityprotest #jharkhandcmonjainprotest. Protesters chanted “Sammed Shikhar Hamara Hai”.

Jharkhand finance minister Dr Rameshwar Oraon claimed that though the decision to convert the place into a tourist spot was taken for the state’s own benefit since its hurting the religion of the community, the issue will be revisited.

The protesters demanded to meet President Droupadi Murmu in order to apprise her of their demands. The community also held demonstrations in Ahmedabad, calling for justice against criminals accused of desecrating the revered Shetrunjaya Hills in Bhavnagar district.

Shri Sammed Shikharji is considered to be one of the holy places of Jain. It is located on Parasnath Hills in Jharkhand’s Giridih district, according to DNA. The Jain community believes that religious tourism will impact the sanctity of the site whereas the state government thinks otherwise. The site is important for both the Digambara and Shwetambara Jains as 20 out of 24 Jain Tirthankaras along with their monks attained moksha in the place.  The Jain community wrote to the chief secretary of the Jharkhand government in November urging to declare the temple a holy place since it is one of the highest places of pilgrimage of the Jain religion. However, no actions have been taken in this regard.

Hundreds of Jain protester in Ahmedabad held protest on Sunday, seeking action against anti-social elements allegedly desecrating the sacred Shetrunjaya Hills in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district. The Jain community held more than 85 rallies in different parts of the state seeking action against anti-social elements desecrating the sacred Shetrunjaya Hills i.e., the “charan paduka” of a Jain saint was vandalised at a temple on the hills on November 26. Shatrunjaya Hill has turned into a hub for illegal encroachments, liquor dens, and mining operations.

The community also presented a memo to the district collector’s office with a list of demands. “All illegal activities in the hills such as mining and land grabbing should be stopped and the hills should be mapped to remove illegal construction — these are our main demands,” reported PTI.

Jain monk protesting dies in Jaipur

A 72-year-old Jain monk, who was on a fast against the Jharkhand government’s decision, died on Tuesday in Jaipur. Sugyeysagar Maharaj sat on the fast at Sanghiji temple in Sanganer area of the city. The priest was a native of a village in Banswara district of Rajasthan. According to the reports, the Jain community reached out to the President and Prime Minister of India with their demands. They shared their displeasure over the two incidents and urged them to not covert the holy place of Jains- Shri Sammed Shikharji into a tourist spot.

-INDIA NEWS STREAM