Madhya Pradesh: Jain members urge Centre to declare Shikharji a sacred place in Bhikangaon

Bhikangaon (Madhya Pradesh): Jain community members from Bhikangaon village, Khargone district, have demanded that the government declare Tirthadhiraj Tirtha Shri Sammed Shikharji, in Jharkhand, a holy place.

Jain Community members (dressed in white attire) led by Sadbhavna Charitable Trust, conducted a silent rally from the Jain Temple, Jhiranya road.

Paras Kasliwal, a Jain community member told that upon reaching the tehsil office, members handed over a memorandum to tehsildar Dr Nidhi Verma addressed to the president Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, minister of environment, forest and climate change, Bhupendra Yadav and Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren.

In the memorandum, it was stated that instead of declaring Shikharji, the symbol of the highest faith of Jain society, as a tourist destination, the entire area should be declared a sacred place.

The Central government has declared it a tourist place because of which consumption of alcohol and meat and other activities not in concurrence with Jain religious values will increase and thus hurt the sentiments of the community members and destroy the sanctity of the place, the community members said in their memorandum.

Basant Jain, Praveen Jain, Ashok Jhanjri, Sudhir Kasliwal and other community members were present. Shikharji is located on Parasnath hill, the highest mountain in Jharkhand.