Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...

, a state in north eastern India has had a long association with

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 ...

. Today the state has two

Jain temples 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 ...

and has become home to hundreds of Jain families living prosperously and peacefully.

History

The first Jain temple in Nagaland was established in

Kohima Kohima (; Angami Naga: ''Kewhira'' ()), is the capital of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Originally known as ''Kewhira'', Kohima was founded ...

. The temple was established in 1920 by 8 Sethi families, who were the first non naga settlors in Nagaland, prominent among them being Hardev Sethi, Hiralal Sethi,

Phulchand Sethi Phulchand Sethi (November 1911 – 2 October 1976) was a social worker, philanthropist and businessman from Dimapur, Nagaland in Northeast India. He was amongst the first proponents of Jainism in Nagaland. He was awarded the Commendation Certific ...

, Jethmal Sethi, Devalal Sethi. These families then moved to Dimapur in 1944 due to Japanese invasion during World War II. These families established the Jain temple in Dimapur in 1947.

Dimapur Jain Temple

Dimapur Jain Temple was built in 1947. The temple is architecturally very well built and has an impressive structure. The temple has some intricate glass work. The temple is considered very auspicious by the people of Dimapur. The Moolnayak of the temple is Lord Mahavira. Dimapur is the business center of Nagaland today and most of the Jain families are settled in Dimapur.

Kohima Jain Temple

The first Jain temple in Nagaland was established in

. The temple was established in 1920

Community

Jains constitute only about 0.1% of the total population of Nagaland yet they control a chunk of the businesses in Nagaland. The Dimapur Jain community actively participates in various social causes. They also regularly organize free health camps, relief camps. The Dimapur Jain community runs the SD Jain Charitable Hospital, SD Jain High School and SD Jain Girls' college. The SD Jain Hospital and the SD Jain School and Jain Bhavan were established as a result of the untiring efforts of Shri Phulchand Sethi, Shri Phulchand Binaykia, Shri Mangilal Chhabra, Shri Jethmal Sethi, Shri Kanhaiyalal Sethi, Shri Madan Lal Sethi and other Sethi and Chhabra families of Dimapur.

Gallery

Jain Temple Dimapur1.png, Mulnayak Pratima at Jain Temple,

Dimapur Dimapur () is the largest city in the Indian state of Nagaland. As of 2011, the municipality had a population of 122,834. The city is the main gateway and commercial centre of Nagaland. Located near the border with Assam along the banks of the ...

Jain Temple Dimapur2.png, Trimurti at Jain Temple,

Kohima Jain Temple (1).jpg, Jain Temple,

Kohima Jain Temple.jpg, Kohima Jain Temple

Major centers

Major Jain centers include: *

Shree Digambar Jain Temple Dimapur Dimapur Jain Temple is a Jain temple built in 1947. The temple is located in Jain Temple Road, and has Lord Mahavira as its Moolnayak. The temple is under the aegis of the SD Jain Samaj Dimapur. History During the pre-independence era, most o ...

Jain Temple Kohima Jain temples and '' tirtha'' (pilgrimage sites) are present throughout the Indian subcontinent, many of which were built several hundred years ago. Many of these temples are classified according to Jain sects. Idols of t ...

Population

According to 2011

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

, the population of Jains in Nagaland is 2,093, which is approximately 0.1% of the total population.

Eminent Personalities

*Late

*Late Jethmal Sethi *Late Champalal Sethi *Late Kanhaiyalal Sethi *Late Mangilal Chabra *Late Subhkaran Sethi *Late Ramchandra Sethi * Binod Sethi

References

* https://epaper.easternmirrornagaland.com/epaper/edition/381/eastern-mirror-june-21/page/3 * http://www.nagalandpost.com/book-on-jainism-released/235284.html * https://morungexpress.com/kohima-jain-temple-marks-100th-year-with-book-release *https://www.telegraphindia.com/bihar/deity-gift-from-nagaland/cid/218937 *http://www.easternmirrornagaland.com/dimapur-jain-community-observes-paryushan/

Sources

* Sethi, Raj Kumar (2021), 100 years of Jainism in Nagaland - (A journey from 1885 to 1985), Walnut Publication, Jain communities Jainism in India Religion in Nagaland History of Nagaland {{Jainism-stub