Mumbai (Maharashtra), November 25, 2012: At the Shree Shankeshwar Parshwanathji Jain Temple in Gowalia Tank, the rush was more than usual on Sunday as the temple offered them a divine visual treat: flowers running down the arches, presenting a mini-vertical garden look; precious stones adorning the idols of the various gods covered by silver foliage, paintings and decoration describing the life and times of the Tirthankars…
“As part of obeisance to one of the 11 to-do things every year for Jains, we decorated the temple,” informed Bharat Mehta, one of those in charge of decoration. The decorations also included the beginning of Jainism, the life of its Sadhus and the message that the Holy Scriptures gave to the Jains.
Decked to every corner, Jains called the day as Maha-puja. “Every Jain is supposed to observe 11 things. Maha-puja is one of them. The idea is to encourage Jains and non-Jains to learn and know more about Jainism,” added Mehta.
“The other important things a Jain has to observe are charity, doing Teerth yatra and jagran (staying awake and praying to the lord), and spending a day like a sadhu or sadhvi,” said Panyas Sayambodhi Vijayji Maharaj, a Jain monk at the temple, adding that the Maha-puja’s aim is to increase devotion among people by showing them the grace of God and what happens if one follows or does not follow Him.
Apart from decorating the temple, Jains ensure that celebration of Jainism is shared with the people. “We give sweets to around 1,500 families around the area and ask them to be here,” said Girish Shah, another person related to the temple’s celebration.
“The idea of decorating the temple is very good. We really liked the decoration and depiction through the cardboards and structures. Also interesting was to know about the life that the lords lived before coming to the Earth,” said Dhvani Shah, a resident of Kemps Corner. – News Courtesy: DNA India