Siddhachalam is the first
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 ...
Tirtha (
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
site) located outside of India. Founded in 1983 by
Sushil Kumar, it is located on a 108-acre (44ha) site in rural
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 ...
, United States. Siddhachalam (Hindi: ''siddha'', liberated souls; ''achal'', a permanent place, as a mountain) literally means the abode of liberated souls.
History
In 1980, Sushil Kumar encouraged his disciples to acquire a long-abandoned children's summer camp and founded an ''
ashram'' there to teach ''
ahimsa''. Kumar reportedly engaged there in extended samadhi meditation. Twelve years later, he encouraged the community to establish temples in homage to ''
Jinas
In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English: literally a ' ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the ''dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable passa ...
''. The ashram maintains the only Jain monastery outside India. Siddhachalam has become an important center of Jain conferences and an important Jain pilgrimage. The center houses idols from all Jain sects, given that American Jains have sought to not bring in sectarian differences from India.
In 2012, Siddhachalam became the site for the world's first full-scale, complete replication of
Shikharji
Shri Sammet Shikharji () is a pilgrimage site in Giridih district, Jharkhand, India. It is located on Parasnath hill, the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. It is the most important Jain Tirtha (pilgrimage site) by both Digambara and ...
, the most important place of pilgrimage for the Jains. Shikharji at Siddhachalam is the first Jain place of pilgrimage outside India.
The main temple has marble idols of the
tirthankaras
In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' ( Sanskrit: '; English: literally a 'ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the '' dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable pas ...
Rishabha
Rishabhanatha, also ( sa, ऋषभदेव), Rishabhadeva, or Ikshvaku is the first (Supreme preacher) of Jainism and establisher of Ikshvaku dynasty. He was the first of twenty-four teachers in the present half-cycle of time in Jain co ...
,
Pārśva,
Mahāvīra
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 ...
,
Chandraprabha
Chandraprabha () is the eighth Tirthankara of ''Avasarpini'' (present half cycle of time as per Jain cosmology). Chandraprabhu was born to King Mahasena and Queen Lakshmana Devi at Chandrapuri to the Ikshvaku dynasty. According to Jain tex ...
and
Shantinatha
Shantinatha was the sixteenth Jain tirthankar of the present age (Avasarpini). Shantinatha was born to King Vishvasena and Queen Aiira at Hastinapur in the Ikshvaku dynasty. His birth date is the thirteenth day of the Jyest Krishna month of the ...
. There is also a small temple where the main idol is Pārśva.
The ashram is also a nature preserve and wildlife sanctuary.
See also
*
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 ...
*
Jainism in the United States
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 ...
References
Citations
Sources
*
External links
Siddhachalam Jain Tirth
{{Authority control
20th-century Jain temples
Indian-American culture in New Jersey
Jain temples in the United States
Temples in New Jersey
Religious organizations established in 1983