Bangalore (Karnataka), November 30, 2011: The city’s oldest Jain temple has received a facelift. The Sri Adinath Jain Shwetambara Temple in Chickpet, which was built in 1918, has been renovated and will be inaugurated on Thursday.
Marking the occasion, the temple has organised a nine-day festival at Freedom Park, culminating with the inauguration. So far, it has seen over 50,000 members of the Jain community joining the festivities. Some of the events included singing competitions and theatre plays depicting the culture of the community.
“The original structure was made of wood and limestone. This is a new temple. We have fixed many problems, such as water leakages, in addition to making many changes in the structure,” said Uttamji Bhandari, president of the Chickpet Jain Temple Trust.
Bhandari added that this is the first time the temple is being renovated since its inception.
Bhandari also spoke about the part played by the Jain community in the city. “The entire community is really happy with these renovations. Today, we held a procession from Chickpet to Freedom Park and it was peaceful. This is considering the fact close to 50,000 people attended the event,” he said.
The final step of the renovation is a process called Pratishtha, which is the installation of the idols. This will be done by Sri Rajyash Surishwarji Maharaj, an acharaya who travelled to city along with 40 disciples. “The temple became too old. In addition to the old idols, we will also be installing new ones,” he said. He said that he will be conducting prayers for world peace.
“I will be in the city till December 5. I will then be going to Chennai to build a new Jain temple there,” he said.The renovated Adinath Jain Temple in Chickpet, which will be opened on Thursday. – News Courtesy: DNA India