AHMEDABAD: Panchasar, a village some 100 km from Ahmedabad and Gujarat's oldest seat of power, is all set to emerge as India's biggest seat of learning for Jainism studies.
Located five km from Shankeshwar, the most important pilgrimage town of Jains after Palitana, Panchasar will house Shrut Ratnakar Adhyayan Kendra - Centre for Indological Studies whose foundation will be laid on December 16. The main aim of this centre is to churn out scholars who will impart knowledge of this 2,500-year-old religion across the world.
"We chose Panchasar as this place was the first capital of Gujarat and is close to Shankeshwar. After Panchasar, the capital shifted to Patan," said Dr Jitendra Shah, former director of LD Institute of Indology and a pivot for this university-cum-research centre.
'It'll have repository of books on Jainism' Dr Jitendra Shah, former director of LD Institute of Indology said the idea to build this centre was floated considering the decline of the knowledge of ancient Jain scriptures and safeguarding the wisdom written 1,600 years ago
This centre, he said, is the first and biggest such centre for in-depth study and research on Jainism and it will be spread over 30 acres of land.
"There are many institutes across the world which offer various courses related to Jainism. But there is an acute shortage of scholars who can not only help conserve our faith but also help spread the important tenets of Jainism. The ultimate aim is to prepare scholars who can use the ancient Jain wisdom and help the world combat the present global challenges," said Shah, the founder-director of this centre.
Along with other modern facilities, the centre will have a repository of at least 60,000 books and manuscripts on Jainism.
In the first phase, the centre plans an intake of 400 students, 50 sadhus and 60 sadhvis, who can live on the campus. The centre will offer courses in Jain philosophy and epistemology (Nav-Tattva), Jiv Vichar and modern science, Jain theory of karma, Jain biology, Jain cosmology and geography and languages like Sanskrit, Prakrit, Apabrahmsh, English etc.
"Jainism can play a big role in combating the burning issues like climate change, terrorism, environment degradation, pollution, health etc. The scholars through their knowledge will provide solutions to these problems," said Shah. Shrut Ratnakar Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, has already launched short-term and certificate courses in Jain studies for common people, cutting across religions.
"Considering the project's importance, many Jains living abroad are contributing to building this centre. Dr Jasvant Modi, who has established chairs of Jainism in 18 universities in the US, is also actively associated," he said.