Jains in Pune celebrate Mahavir Jayanti with grand processions and festivities

The birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir was celebrated with fanfare and religious fervor by Jains in Pune. According to tradition, they took out a ‘prabhatferi’ (morning procession).

Women wore saffron colored clothes and men white clothes in the ‘prabhatferi’. A large number of community members took part in the parade which took place with the message ‘live and let live’.

On Sunday around 7 am, a grand procession was organized by Shree Jain Community Festival Committee Pune in association with all four sects of Jain Samaj and associations.

The procession started at 8.15 am from Shree Godiji Parswanath Jain Temple, Phulwala Chowk, Bohri Ali, Laxmi Road, Sonya Maruti Chowk, with Hon’ble Mayor, Deputy Mayor, MPs, MLAs, Corporators, office bearers of various political parties, officials, social, religious and educational dignitaries, as well as distinguished guests, offering garlands to the statue of Mahavir.

The route of the procession included Shri Godiji Parshwanath Jain Temple, Bhandi Bazar, Lalbahadur Shastri Chowk, Bohri Ali, Sonya Maruti Chowk, Ganesh Peth, Govind Halwai Chowk, Burdi Bridge, Palvi Vithoba Chowk, Shri Shansveshwar Parshwanath Temple, Ramoshi Gate, Timber Market, Manmohan Parshwanath Temple and Seven Loves Chowk, ending at Apsara Talkies, Prabhat Press Kataria High School, Laxmi Vilas, Mukundnagar, Sujay Garden, Shivshankar Office and Satara Road Adinath Station.

Members later reached the Jain Temple (Jinalaya) where they performed rituals and collectively hoisted the flag and chanted ‘Lord Mahavir’. People visited the specially decorated Jain temple early in the morning to offer prayers.

Later, a grand shobha yatra was taken out to spread Lord Mahavir’s message ‘Jio Aur Jeene Do’. Shreeji’s idol was placed on a chariot. The procession was welcomed with flowers throughout the route.

Mahavir Jayanti is one of the most important religious festivals in Jainism. It celebrates the birth of Lord Mahavir, the twenty-fourth and the last Tirthankara.

Published: Sunday, Apr 21, 2024 3:51 PM IST