Jai Jinendra ,

NEW JAIN TEMPLE COMPLEX INAUGURATED IN  CALIFORNIA - The Jain Center of Southern California celebrated  11 day Pratishtha Mahotsav to inaugurate the new Jain temple complex.  Community members also organised a grand procession during the celebrations. During the procession, some of the streets around the area were closed to traffic during the duration of the spectacular parade. It was a splendid sight for the many residents and passersby as the seemingly endless train of over 2,000 colorfully adorned people and spectacular floats meandered through the thoroughfares of Buena Park accompanied by dancing and singing and ladies bearing kalashs on their heads. The five principal floats bore themes from major events in Bhagwan Mahavir’s life, the Conception, Birth, Renouncement, Enlightenment and Nirvan Kalyanaks. Riding in the procession either on the floats or in decorated cars were a total of 47 idols comprising 37 pratimajis of Tirthankars, 2 Guru pratimajis and 8 adhisthayak Devi-Devi Pratimajis. Amidst the large number of temple officials who joined the parade were Gurudev Chitrabhanu , the pioneering Jain monk who brought the Jain message to America and the Shrimad Rajchandra scholar Sri Rakesh Bhai Jhaveri. The 11 day festivities to celebrate the inauguration of the new temple and Meditation and Reflection Hall started from  Sept. 26. On Oct. 5, the 47 idols were finally installed in their respective locations following the performance of the appropriate rituals and prayers when they were infused with the divine life in their new abode. The Pratishtha Mahotsav came to a conclusion on the following morning , Oct. 6 when the door to the temple was officially opened to the devotees of Bhagwan Mahavir.