The Jain Center of America (JCA) was the first
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 gen ...
organized and registered in America, in 1976, and is the oldest
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 gen ...
in the
Western hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...
.
The temple is located at 43-11 Ithaca Street, in
Elmhurst,
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
The temple houses shrines for
Mahavir
Mahavira (Sanskrit: महावीर) also known as Vardhaman, was the 24th ''tirthankara'' (supreme preacher) of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6t ...
in the
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 ...
tradition,
Rishabhanatha in the
Digambar
''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 ...
tradition,
Upashraya in the
Sthanakvasi tradition and a meditation hall for the
Shrimad Rajchandra
Shrimad Rajchandra (11 November 1867 – 9 April 1901) was a Jain poet, mystic, philosopher, scholar and reformer. Born in Vavaniya, a village near Morbi, he claimed to have recollection of his past lives at the age of seven. He performed '' ...
tradition.
JCA is a , with four stories and a cellar. The temple can accommodate over 500 people at one time. The most distinctive and unique feature of the JCA Temple is the manner in which it has managed to unite of the Jain faith under one roof, with each tradition having its own worshipping space, to preserve their unique tradition and identity and at the same time foster greater harmony and unity among all its members.
History
The plans for a Jain temple, the very first in the western hemisphere, were announced in 1973 by Prof. Narendra Sethi, a professor of Management at St. John's University, then the president of the Jain Center of New York, at a Diwali celebration, where Gurudev
Chitrabhanu was the main speaker. This was the year of 2500th
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
anniversary of Lord
Mahavira, the temples projected cost was to be $250,000.
[Iconoclastic Jain Leader Is Likened to Pope John: Support Claimed Long Practice of Silence Short Meditations Offered, GEORGE DUGAN. New York Times, 18 Dec 1973]
The Jain Center of America - New York (JCA) was the first Jain Center registered in USA in 1976. In its early years, the JCA NY Center had no place to worship. In 1981, the center acquired its first temple building in the borough of Queens, New York. In June 2005, the JCA NY celebrated its Pratishta Mahotsav in the newly constructed temple at 43-11 Ithaca St, Elmhurst, Queens, NY, replacing the original 1981 structure.
Gallery
Image:Das Lakshana (Paryusana) celebrations, New York City Jain temple.JPG, Das Lakshana (Paryushana) celebrations, Jain Center of America, New York City.
Image:Das Lakshana (Paryusana) celebrations, New York City Jain temple 1.JPG, Das Lakshana (Paryushana) celebrations, Jain Center of America, New York City.
See also
*
Jainism in America
Adherents of Jainism first arrived in the United States in the 20th century. Jain immigration began in earnest in the late 1960s and continues to the present day.
History
In 1893, Virachand Gandhi became the first Jain delegate to visit the ...
*
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 ...
*
JAINA
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 ...
*
Brampton Jain Temple
Brampton Jain Temple or the Bhagwan 1008 Adinatha Swamy Jain Temple, is the first Jain temple in Canada constructed using traditional Indian architecture. The temple is located at 7875 Mayfield Road in Brampton, ON Canada, L7E 0W1. The temple hou ...
References
External links
*
{{Jainism topics
Indian-American culture in New York City
Jain temples in the United States
2005 establishments in New York City
Elmhurst, Queens
Religious buildings and structures in New York City
Religious buildings and structures completed in 2005
Religious organizations established in 1976
1976 establishments in New York City
20th-century Jain temples
Temples in New York (state)