Adherents of

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current ...

first arrived in the United States in the 20th century.

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

immigration began in earnest in the late 1960s and continues to the present day.

History

In 1893,

Virachand Gandhi Virachand Raghavji Gandhi (25 August 1864 – 7 August 1901) was a Jain scholar who represented Jainism at the first World Parliament of Religions in 1893. A barrister by profession, he worked to defend the rights of Jains, and wrote and lecture ...

became the first Jain delegate to visit the United States, representing Jainism in the first ever

Parliament of World Religions There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World's Religions, the first being the World's Parliament of Religions of 1893, which was an attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths. The event was celebrated by another c ...

. As the first practicing Jain to speak publicly in the United States on Jainism, he is a key figure in the history of American Jainism. The first

St. Louis Jain temple The 1904 St. Louis Jain temple is a historic structure that was constructed for the 1904 St. Louis World's fairs, termed "Louisiana Purchase Exposition". It was the first building in the United States designated as a Jain temple, since it was a te ...

in the United States was built for the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. After the fair, the temple moved to

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

and later to Los Angeles. It is now owned by the Jain Center of Southern California. Adherents of Jainism first arrived in the United States in 1944. Jain immigration began in earnest in the late 1960s after the passage of the

Immigration Act of 1965 The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, also known as the Hart–Celler Act and more recently as the 1965 Immigration Act, is a federal law passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The l ...

. The United States has since become a center of the Jain diaspora. Swami Vivekananda at Parliament of Religions

The first former Jain monastic to travel to the United States,

Chitrabhanu Chitrabhanu (July 26, 1922 – April 19, 2019) was a prominent figure in American Jainism. He was one of the co-founders of JAINA. Personal life He was born as Rup-Rajendra Shah on July 26, 1922 in a small town Takhatgarh in Pali district of ...

, arrived in 1971. He gave several lectures about Jainism at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and established a Jain center in New York City. The first monk who traveled outside India by use of mechanical means was Acharya Sushil Kumar who arrived in the United States in 1975. He established multiple Jain centers, including International Mahavira Jain Mission popularly known as Siddhachalam. In the 1980s, he and Chitrabhanu inspired the founding of

Federation of Jain Associations in North America JAINA is an acronym for the Federation of Jain Associations in North America, an umbrella organizations to preserve, practice, and promote Jainism in USA and Canada. It was founded in 1981 and formalized in 1983. Among Jain organization it is ...

to support the

Jain community The Jains in India are the last direct representatives of the ancient Shramana tradition. People who practice Jainism, an ancient religion of the Indian subcontinent, are collectively referred to as Jains. Sangha Jainism has a fourfold orde ...

in the United States and Canada. As of 2010 the United States contained the most

Jain temple A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...

s of any country in the Jain diaspora. At least one third of the Jains living outside India live in the United States, numbering close to 150,000. Jain temples in the United States, which numbered 26 as of 2006, frequently incorporate marble and arches in a style reminiscent of Rajasthan architecture. There are almost 100 distinct Jain congregations in the United States. Many Jains in the United States are professionals. They also frequently volunteer at animal welfare organizations. Many Jains also attend Hindu temples and Hindu events.

Jain sects

According to The Pluralism Project at

, "Most American Jains agree that the sectarian streams of Jainism that have been significant in India for 2,000 years are fast losing their currency in 20th century America...The sectarian divisions of the Jain tradition have been left behind as Jain Americans concentrate on the difficult task of appropriating the tradition in a new environment." As noted below, many Jain temples in the United States contain images from both the

Digambara ''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvētāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing n ...

and

Śvētāmbara The Śvētāmbara (; ''śvētapaṭa''; also spelled ''Shwethambara'', ''Svetambar'', ''Shvetambara'' or ''Swetambar'') is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the ''Digambara''. Śvētāmbara means "white-clad", and refers ...

traditions. Jain conventions and gatherings in America feature teachings from both sects.

Federation of Jain Associations in North America and Siddhachalam

216px, Main temple at Siddhachalam_Jain_center_at_New_Jersey._Images_of_the_tirthankaras_Mahavira.html" ;"title="New_Jersey.html" ;"title="Siddhachalam Jain center at New Jersey">Siddhachalam Jain center at New Jersey. Images of the tirthankaras Mahavira">New_Jersey.html" ;"title="Siddhachalam Jain center at New Jersey">Siddhachalam Jain center at New Jersey. Images of the tirthankaras Mahavira, Chandraprabha, Rishabha, Shantinatha and Parshvanatha. The Federation of Jain Associations in North America is an umbrella organization of local American and Canadian Jain congregations to preserve, practice, and promote Jainism and the Jain way of life. Siddhachalam in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

is the first pilgrimage site for Jains outside India, bringing together all Jains in one place for worship, study and reflection.

Jain symbols

The Federation of Jain Associations in North America uses a modified version of the standard Jain symbol, the Jain emblem. It replaces the

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...

with an '' om'' because the former is not considered a pious symbol in the western world.

Jain studies

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest uni ...

hosts the Bhagwan Mahavir Professorship in Jain Studies, the first Jain Studies chair at a North American university. In 2016, the Jain Society and

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...

signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a post-doctoral fellowship in Jain studies.

American Jain centers

:Jain temples in the United States Hindu Jain Temple, Monoroeville, PA, USA

The

Jain Center of America The Jain Center of America (JCA) was the first Jain temple organized and registered in America, in 1976, and is the oldest Jain temple in the Western hemisphere. The temple is located at 43-11 Ithaca Street, in Elmhurst, Queens, New York City. ...

was the first Jain center in the United States. It opened in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1982. Since then, over 100 Jain centers and temples have opened in America. Most Jain centers are complexes that include a main temple housing Digambara and Śvētāmbara images, libraries, meeting rooms, guest rooms, and so forth.

Arizona

Jain Center of Greater Phoenix Jain Center of Greater Phoenix (JCGP) is a Jain temple in Phoenix, Arizona. It was established in 2008. It represents about 150 families in the Phoenix metro area. History Of the total Jain population in Phoenix, about half live in the East Val ...

California

* Jain Center of Northern California *

Jain Center of Southern California Jain Center of Southern California (JCSC) is a leading Jain Center in America. It was founded on September 15, 1979. JCSC played a major role in founding of JAINA, the umbrella Jain organization of North America and hosted the first Jaina conven ...

* Jain Center of Greater Sacramento * Jain Society of San Diego * Jain Center Of Los Angeles

Colorado

* Jain Samaj of Colorado, Denver

Connecticut

* Jain Center of Connecticut

Florida

* Jain Vishwa Bharati of USA, Orlando, Florida * Jain Society Inc. of Tampa Bay * Jain Society of Central Florida, Inc. * Jain Center of South Florida * Jain Association of North East Florida

Georgia

* Augusta Jain Community * Jain Society of Greater Atlanta

Illinois

* Jain Society of Metro Chicago

Indiana

* Jain Center of Central Indiana

Kansas

* Kansas City Jain Sangh

Louisiana

* Jain Center of Northwest Louisiana

Maryland

* Jain Society of Metro Washington

Massachusetts

* Jain Sangh of New England, Burlington, Massachusetts * Jain Center of Greater Boston, Norwood, Massachusetts

Michigan

* Jain Society of Greater Detroit, Inc. * Jain Society of Greater Lansing

Minnesota

* Jain Center of Minnesota

Missouri

* Jain Center of Greater St. Louis

Nevada

* Jain Center of Las Vegas

New Jersey

* Jain Center of New Jersey * Jain Sangh of Atlantic City - NJ * The Jain Sangh Inc. NJ (Cherry Hill Jain Sangh) * Jain Vishwa Bharti, Iselin, New Jersey * Siddhachalam, New Jersey

New York

* Jain Community of Buffalo * Jain Sangh of Hudson Valley * Jain Society of Capitol District-Albany * Jain Samaj of Long Island, NY * Jain Temple of New York

North Carolina

* Jain Center of Greater Charlotte * Jain Study Center of N. Carolina

Ohio

* Jain Center of Central Ohio, Columbus * Jain Center of Cincinnati/Dayton * Jain Society of Greater Cleveland * Jain Society of Toledo

Oklahoma

* Tulsa Jain Sangh

Pennsylvania

* Jain Center of Allentown * Jain Samaj of South Central PA * Jain Society of Pittsburgh * Samarpan Jain Sangh Philadelphia

Tennessee

* Jain Society of Middle Tennessee

Texas

* Jain Society of Houston * Jain Society of N. Texas/Dallas * Jain Sangh of Greater Austin TX *

Siddhayatan Siddhayatan, is a Jain-Hindu Tirth (pilgrimage site) in North America founded in 2008 by Acharya Shree Yogeesh. It is located on a site at Windom near Dallas, Texas, United States. Siddhayatan currently has miniatured versions of pilgrimage site ...

Virginia

* Jain Society of Central Virginia - Richmond * Jain Temple of Virginia

Washington

* Jain Society of Seattle * Jain Center of Washington

Wisconsin

* Jain Religion Center of Wisconsinhttp://www.jainwi.org/

Gallery

File:Jain Center of Central Ohio Columbus Ohio USA.jpg, Jain Center of Central Ohio in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

File:Greater Baltimore Hindu-Jain Temple 05.jpg, Greater Baltimore Jain Temple File:Siddhachalam1.jpg, Main shrine at Siddhachalam Jain center, New Jersey File:NY temple2.jpg,

in New York City with images of Tirthankaras. File:Jain Temple -01 by Jain Center of Greater Phoenix (JCGP).jpg,

Manastambha A manastambha (Sanskrit for 'column of honour') is a pillar that is often constructed in front of Jain temples or large Jain statues. In North India, they are topped by four Tirthankara images. According to the ''Digambara'' Jain texts like ''A ...

File:JCGP Temple (2).png, Rishabhantha idol at

File:JCGP Temple (1).png, Lord Mahaviraswami idol at

File:Lord Adinath JCNJ.jpg, Lord Adinatha at Franklin Township derasar File:Garbha Graha, JCNJ.jpg, Main vedi at Franklin Township derasar File:Goddesss JCNJ.jpg, Idol of

devi Devī (; Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The conce ...

at Franklin Township

Derasar A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings gen ...

File:Namokar Mantra JCNJ.jpg, Namokar Mantra at Terapanti shrine of Franklin Township

References

External links

Federation of Jain Associations in North America (JAINA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jainism In The United States Jain communities Asian-American society