Foundation stone laid for biggest East UP Jain temple in Sangam city

The foundation stone for the construction of the biggest Jain temple of Eastern Uttar Pradesh was laid at the campus of the existing Jain temple located at Bai Ka Bagh area of Sangam city, on Sunday. A large number of members of the Jain community of Prayagraj as well as from Mumbai arrived for the ceremony following which the construction of this three-storey temple was formally commenced with religious rituals.

This temple of Shwetambar Jains will become a centre of attraction for the Jain devotees coming to Prayagraj from all over the country and abroad.

Presently there is a 55-year-old Shri Rishabh Dev Jain Shwetambar Temple with hundreds of years old idol of Lord Rishabhdev, also known as Lord Adinath (Lord of the Beginning)- the first Jain Tirthankar of the present time cycle, in Bai Ka Bagh area of the city.

As a part of this mega renovation, the new temple structure will have three floors or levels and is being constructed at the very site encompassing the large ground located in front of the existing temple structure. Munna Lal Tiwari, who is the second-generation priest from his family at this temple, aided in performing the rituals.

The idols of the gods and goddesses in the new temple will be installed in all four directions on the upper floors, while the main idol of the first Tirthankar with smaller idols of other Tirthankars (There are a total of 24 Tirthankars) will be installed on the ground floor. The artisans of Orissa and Rajasthan have been given the responsibility of constructing the temple.

“After completion, this will be the largest Jain temple in Eastern Uttar Pradesh,” said Tiwari, the head priest. This temple is very important for the devotees of the Jain community, he added.

“The temple will be built on a land of around 4000 square yards and a two-storey Dharamshala will also be built on the campus at the spot where the present temple is located,” said Chandrakant Savla, one of the senior members of the community from the city.

According to the stone inscription laid here, when the first Tirthankar Lord Rishabhdev arrived at this place hundreds of years back, the name of Prayagraj was Purimtaal. It was on this land that Lord Rishabhdev attained ‘Kevalgyan’ (enlightenment or omniscience roughly translated as complete understanding or supreme wisdom) and it was here that Mata Marudevi, mother of the first Jain Tirthankar, also attained enlightenment and Moksha here.

“The temple will be constructed in Madhubani style with exquisite carvings. Along with this, there will be artefacts from the entrance to the main building of the temple. In the three-storey building, on every floor, the artwork of cows, goats and elephants will be carved, which will be the centre of attraction for the visitors,” said the priest.