Baba Amichand Jain Temple

Mumbaikars tend to get busy in their demanding schedules of life, but when it comes to religion, people appear to be highly devout. Religion plays an important role in the lives of people in Mumbai. Like any other part of India, Hinduism is the major religion observed by most of the residents of Bombay. Apart from Hinduism, the other religions followed here are Islam, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and Christianity.

So time to see some temples and after the Holi festival the 3 of us plus my friends Sucharu and Kavita visited a Jain temple.
Jain temples are generally the prettiest in India, and this one, officially called the Babu Amichand Panalal Adishwarji Jain Temple, is arguably the prettiest temple in Mumbai.



Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes pacifism and a path of non-violence towards all living beings in thought and practice.

Jains are strict vegetarians. They avoid eating root vegetables in general, as cutting root from a plant kills it unlike other parts of the plant (leaf, fruit, seed etc). Followers of Jain dharma eat before the night falls. They filter water regularly so as to remove any small insects that may be present and boil the water prior to consumption.

A very interesting religion, another thing that struck me was... that they eat less than one's normal diet, maybe this is what I have to do!! Convert to Jainism to finally loose the pounds I want... LOL

Mumbai has one the largest populations of Jains among all the cities in India so there are numerous Jain temples in the city where the best known is the Babu Amichand Panalal Adishwarji Jain Temple built in 1904. And this is the one we went to!



The temple is dedicated to Lord Adishwar, the first of 24 Jain Tirthankaras of the current era. The temple is presently used by thousands of devotees of the Jain religion for their daily worship.



The entrance is artistically sculptured giving the whole place an aesthetic richness. Two elephants brilliantly made out of stone are placed on both the sides of the main gate in the Jain Temple. The temple is adorned with colorful paintings, which have been painted very diligently. It is an absolute pleasure to observe and enjoy these paintings. And when you look at this beautiful ceiling, it was just magnificent! It portrayed a painted zodiac.



It was such a peaceful moment to be there, so serene, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of this big city with 17 million people... you would have no clue by being there!



And just next door the hectic is all around it, a vendor selling balloons... that fascinates me about such a big city, there are always these little corners of heaven, peace and quietness, and next to it the day-to-day life goes on. How wonderful!!



Tomorrow my tour of the markets... love, love, loved it! Although not the girls... they thought it was boooring!! LOL
Mireille