ANTWERPS MAGNIFICENT JAIN TEMPLE: A priceless Diamond created by the diamond merchants from India I participated in an Inter-Faith Conference in Antwerp earlier this month (7-9 September). Organised by the Community of SantEgidio, its theme was PEACE IS THE FUTURE: 100 YEARS AFTER THE START OF WORLD WAR I. The topic of my paper at the conference was: NEXT 100 YEARS: Time for the UN to create an agenda for A World without Wars and Violent Conflicts -- A Gandhian Approach to Peace-Promoting and Planet-Friendly Economic Growth. In Antwerp, how could I not pay tribute to Jainism, a religion which has अहिंसा (non-violence) at its very core, both philosophically and practically? Antwerp is where the diamond merchants from India (almost all of them Gujaratis and most of them Jains) earned enormous wealth and fame in a very short time -- in just about four decades, since the first set of diamond merchants from Mumbai and Surat started setting up their business in this European city in the early 1970s. These Gujarati diamond merchants are super-rich, but they have not forgotten their cultural and spiritual roots. In 2010, they came together to build, at a place called Wilrijk, close to Antwerp, the largest Jain Temple in the world outside India. The temple -- along with a large prayer hall -- is built entirely in white marble brought from India. The master-craftspersons who built it also came from India. I knew about this marvellous temple and wanted to go there, but taking time out from the hectic schedule of the conference was a problem. Fortunately, help came in a most unexpected way. On the morning of September 9, I attended a session on the ongoing violent conflict in Iraq. When the session got over, I was cordially greeted by two Hare Krishna devotees, both evidently westerners. They -- Purna Tattva das and his wife Tarunyamria dasi, both from Holland but now naturalised Belgians -- said they had seen my name among the Indian participants in the inter-faith conference and wanted to meet me. After we spoke about the conference and other matters, they asked me, Would you like to visit the famous Jain Temple in Antwerp? We can take you there in our car and drop you back at the venue of your evening programme -- after, of course, treating you to a nice vegetarian Indian lunch. It was an offer impossible to resist. Here are some images of my visit to the temple - a pure white diamond glistening against a clear blue sky. I am grateful to the Purna Tattva das and Tarunyamria dasi, who have dedicated their lives to the cause of spiritualism, for making my visit to Antwerp memorable.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 04:35:34 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015