Jains reiterate demand to declare Pawapuri a holy city

PATNA: Jain community members have reiterated their demand that Pawapuri, the place of nirvana of Lord Mahavira, be declared a holy city and the sale and consumption of tobacco products, liquor and meat be banned in the vicinity of the temple on the pattern of Haridwar and other such sacred places. Jain Sangh secretary Pradip Jain on Tuesday recalled chief minister Nitish Kumar during one of his ‘Seva Yatra’ had promised that Pawapuri would be declared a holy city and the sale and consumption of meat, tobacco and liquor will be banned in the temple area. But the promise remains unfulfilled. “Ahead of the Mahavira Jayanti on April 2, the state government notified the day as ‘meatless day’ banning the slaughter and sale of animals and fishes. It is high time the CM’s promise was fulfilled,” Pradip Jain said.The community members celebrated Mahavira Jayanti with traditional fervour and gaiety across the state. A huge procession was taken out in Patna to mark the occasion, in which over 2,000 devotees participated. While men were dressed in white, women wore saffron attires. Devotional songs rent the air as the ‘shobha yatra’ passed through the main thoroughfares after which prayers were held and ‘prasad’ distributed. Cultural programmes were also organized.“Lord Mahavira propagated non-violence and we welcomed the state government’s decision to declare it a ‘meatless day’. We now plead to the state government to declare the Pawapuri temple area as a dry area,” Pradip Jain said. Such a plea has also been made repeatedly by the Pawapuri Jain Temple Management Committee. There are 3,000 to 4,000 Jain families in Bihar. The community runs two schools, one each at Lachchuar (Jamui) and Pawapuri and a health centre at Pawapuri besides making several other philanthropic initiatives round the year.