Jainism in Haryana

Ancient idols of Jain Tirthankara (made of bronze and stone) were found in archaeological expeditions in Badli, Bhiwani (Ranila, Charkhi Dadri, Badhara village), Dadri, Gurgaon (Ferozepur Jhirka), Hansi, Hisar (Agroha), Kasan, Nahad, Narnaul, Pehowa, Rewari, Rohad, Rohtak (Asthal Bohar) and Sonepat in Haryana.^[1][2] Agrawal Jain community traces its origins from Hisar. Guptisagar Dham Tirtha at Ganaur is a religious tourist spot in Haryana. It is named after the Jain Acharya Guptisagar.^[3]

Hansi Jain temple

History

Agroha region came under influence of Jainism during Acharya Bhadrabahu. Rohtak was an important Jain center as Lord Mahavira paid many visits to this district. Ancient Tirthankara idols and Jain temples were also found in the vicinity of Khokhra-kot, belonging to Rajput-era.^[4]

Hansi hoard is a hoard of 58 bronze images of Jain Tirthankaras dating back to the 8th—-9th century excavated from Asigarh Fort in Hansi in Hisar district.^[5][6]

Demographics

Jain population in Haryana as per Census 2001 was 57,167 (29,914 males and 27,253 females).^[7] This count decrease to 52,613 (27,358 males and 25,255 females) in 2011 Census.^[8]

Temples

• 
  Siddhant Tirth Kshetra Shikohpur
• 
  Ranila Jain temple
• 
  Gupti dham
• 
  Gupti dham
• 
  18 ft statue of lord Bahubali at Siddhant Tirth Kshetra Shikohpur
• 
  Gaj Mandir, Rohtak

• Rohtak
  • Rohitaka ^[9]
  • Shri Digambar Jain Temple ^[10]
• Hansi
  • Shri 1008 Bhagwan Parshwanath Digambar Jain Mandir^[9]
• Gurgaon
  • Shri 1008 Mahavira Swami Digambar Jain Atishay Kshetra Kasangaon Archived 24 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine^[9]
• Bhiwani
  • Ranila Jain temple, Adinathpuram^[10]
• Ambala^[11]
  • Suparshvanatha temple - 105 years old belonging to Śvetāmbara
  • Ancient Adinath Digambara temple
• Pratiksha

Events

Government of Haryana (BJP) banned meat for nine days in September 2015 during the Jain festival of Paryushana. This was done by issuing a circular to all the municipal bodies asking meat shop vendors not to sell meat or fish on 17, 18 and 27 September 2015.^[12][13] Muni Tarunsagar conducted his 2015 chaturmas in Sector 16, Faridabad and made a world record during launch of his book, Kadve-Pravachans.

Notable people

• Kavita Jain
• Mool Chand Jain M.L.A and Finance Minister

References

Citations

1. Singh & Arora 2007, p. 401.
2. Kumar 2015, p. 391.
3. Jains to be accorded minority status in Haryana, Chandigarh: Zee News, 30 January 2012
4. Singh & Arora 2007, p. 402.
5. Arora, Udai Prakash (2007), Udayana, Anamika Pub & Distributors, ISBN 9788179751688
6. Jainism in Haryana: An Archaeological Perspective, Vivek Dangi, Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 5: 2017
7. Census of India (2001), Population by religious communities, Ministry of Home Affairs (India)
8. Office of registrar general and census commissioner (2011), C-1 Population By Religious Community, Ministry of Home Affairs (India)
9. Kumar 2015, p. 394.
10. Kumar 2015, p. 395.
11. Ambala - Places of Interest - Jain Samaj, Haryana Tourism
12. Now, Haryana bans sale of meat for 9 days during Jain festival of Paryushan, IBN Live, 12 September 2015
13. Express News Service (13 September 2015), Not passed any order on meat ban, only an appeal to slaughterhouses: Haryana govt., The Indian Express

Sources

• Kumar, Pradeep (June 2015), Jain Pilgrimage Destinations and their potentiality in Haryana Tourism (PDF)
• Singh, Abhay Kumar; Arora, Udai Prakash (1 January 2007), Udayana, Anamika Publishers & Distributors, ISBN 978-81-7975-168-8
• Vyas, Dr. R. T., ed. (1995), Studies in Jaina Art and Iconography and Allied Subjects, The Director, Oriental Institute, on behalf of the Registrar, M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara, ISBN 81-7017-316-7