This group is for all those people who are sthanak vashi jains or interested in being one.
We will discuss about Kevli Bhagwan's speech and the Aagam in this group.
Hope to see you in this group
Jai Jinendra
Literally speaking, ahinsa means non-violence. But to me it has much higher, infinitely higher meaning. It means that you may not offend anybody; you may not harbour uncharitable thought, even in connection with those who consider your enemies. To one who follows this doctrine, there are no enemies. If you express your love - Ahinsa - in such a manner that it impresses itself indelibly upon your so called enemy, he must return that love. This doctrine tells us that we may guard the honour of those under our charge by delivering our own lives into the hands of the man who would commit the sacrilege. And that requires far greater courage than delivering of blows
Amongst all the Jain temples, Palitana temples are considered to be the most
sacred. Located on Shetrunjaya hills there are 863 temples, exquisitely carved
in marble. No one is allowed to sleep overnight including the priest, because
the temple city has been built as an abode for the Gods. The town is considered
by many Jains to be more important than the temple covered hills of Bihar,
Gwalior, Mt Abu and Girnar. Palitana was the capital of a princely state of the
Gohil Rajput clan. It is also one of the greatest tourist attractions in Gujarat
for foreign tourists. Location Palitana is located in the western Indian state
of Gujarat, 51 km south west of Bhavnagar. It is a part of the Saurashtra region
famed for its spectacular temple sites, cities, beautiful beaches, and wildlife.
The town has a good road and rail network that connects it to the other cities
of Gujarat, especially Bhavnagar. Climate The
climate of Palitana is generally pleasant. The summer season continues from
March to June, with daytime temperature reaching 40°C.The monsoon reaches
Palitana in July and remains there till September. Winter sets in around October
and continues till February. The summer temperatures range from 24°C to 42°C and
winter temperatures range from 10°C to 24°C. History
The act of ascending a path to reach a place of pilgrimage is a part of
the Hindu and Jain consciousness, which is why many of their holiest temples are
located along hills and mountain ranges. The Jains have five separate hill
locations for their holiest clusters of temples and Shatrunjaya Hill, Palitana
is considered the most important among them. Another group is in Girnar
(Junagadh), not too far away, while others are in Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
Palitana houses perhaps the largest cluster of Jain temples anywhere.
From the base to the peak of the Shatrunjaya Hill, where the Palitana temples
are located, there are in all 863 temples. These temples were built in two
phases-the 11th and 12th centuries as a part of the resurgence of temple
building all over India, and in the 16th century. Some of the earliest temples
built in the 11th century were destroyed by Muslim invaders in the 14th and 15th
centuries. The current temples date back to 16th century onwards. Not any one
person or group was responsible for the construction of these magnificent
temples. It was the effort of the wealthy businessmen who were followers of
Jainism that
Jainism traces its roots to a succession of 24 Jinas ("those who overcome", or conqueror) in ancient East India. The first Jina is traditionally believed to have been a giant who lived 8.4 million years ago. The most recent and last Jina was Vardhamana (a.k.a. Mahavira, "The Great Hero") He was born in 550 BCE) and was the founder of the Jain community. He attained enlightenment after 13 years of deprivation. In 420 BCE, he committed the act of salekhana which is fasting to death. Each Jina has "conquered love and hate, pleasure and pain, attachment and aversion, and has thereby freed `his' soul from the karmas obscuring knowledge, perception, truth, and ability