I hereby request to all jain sanghs & Influential Jains across the Globe to send petition to below addresses as per below draft related to Kesariyaji Jain Tirth , Rajasthan as soon as Possible. Huge petitions from all jains sanghs across the world will be appreciated & which may succeed in saving our Jain Tirth. Instead of email petitions most preferably mail as print petition on Postal addresses . And only those who cannot send same as print petition they only file petition through email. Please see to it that those who email   petition , they compose below format as their petition with their name & postal address rather than forwarding as it is this email which many ignorantly do .

 Its Time for Unity in Diversity.

 (Note :   THE ORIGINAL PETITION SHOULD BE PRIMARILY ADDRESSED TO THE PRIME MINISTER SEPARATELY  UNDER COPIES TO SMT. SONIA GANDHI , SHRI A.R. ANTULAY & SMT VASUDHARA RAJEJI.) 

 Letter Head : Your Sanghs Address & Presidents & secretarys name: 

 September  10, 2007

 Hon'ble  Prime minister 

Dr.Manmohan Singh, 

Prime Minister's House, 

New Delhi 110 011 

India 

Subject: Plea by Jain Community  to Government  to handover Shri Kesariyaji Jain Tirth management to Jains as per Supreme Courts Order 

CC: Smt. Soniaji Gandhi , Shri A.R.Antulayji ( Central Minsiter for Minorities) , Smt. Vasundara Rajeji ( Chief Minister of Rajasthan) 

Dear Hon'ble  Prime Minister,

We at Jain Sangh ------- are seriously concerned about injustice & biased approach of Rajasthan Governement towards jain community regarding handover of Shri Kesariyaji Jain Tirth (Ancient popular Jain Heritage in Mewad Region/ Udaipur -Rajasthan) inspite of Supreme Courts order to handover same to Jain Community. Jain Community is deeply hurted with Government of Rajasthans move regarding Kesariyaji jain tirth whereby BJP Government has filed review petition in supreme cort which makes clear their suspicious motive to get this tirth declared as Hindu Tirth. Any basic layman who has been to jain temples without any scholarly knowledge can also confirm that Shri Kesariyaji Jain Tirth is a Jain Tirth

Jain Community has always been tolerant towards other religions & never laid any objections on Non-jain pilgrimages to do Darshan of Jain Temples. Because of tolerance pandas / bhils were never stopped to do darshan of Kesariyaji Jain Tirth & no one objected on Pandas presence in Jain Tirth & Region. 

Kesariyaji Teerth is situated in Risabhadev Town in Rajasthan-Uadipur. The temple is dedicated to the first Tirthankar Adinath/ Rishabdev Bhagvan. The temple contains 52 pinnacles. The temple boasts of fine artistry and sculptures.Devotees offer Kesar (saffron) in reverence to the god. The deity is often referred to as Kesariyaji due to the Kesar (Saffron) offered to the god. Since centuries, there is a custom of giving saffrom to God as a gift. Sometimes so much saffron is plastered on God, that God looks saffron - colored. People, therefore, call God Kesariyanath. The governing body of this temple is Shri Adhikarishri Bhandar Dhulevshri Risabhdev Mandir Trust. 

There are many beliefs regarding the antiquity and history of this splendid, miraculous and extraordinary idol. This idol was in Lanka. It was very much worshipped in the times Bhagawan Munisuvrat Swami (20th Tirthankar) . Ramchandraji took it to Ayodhya. Then it was in Ujjain. In course of time, it appeared under a banyan tree outside Vatpradnagar. It was worshipped for some years. Again it appeared under a tree at distance of one kilometer from the village. This is the Chief Tirth of Jains in the Mevad State. A fair is held here every year on the eighth day of the dark half of the month of Fagan.On the Rishabdev-Kalyanpur road, quite close to the Kesaryia complex, there is a place of worship called Pagliyalli where there are said to be actual footprints of Lord Rishabdev.A big fair is held annually in the month of Chaitra (Mar/Apr) on the birthday of Lord Rishabdev. A fair is held in the township on the birthday of Lord Rishabdev.

Maharana Fateh Singh decorated the image with a golden coat studded with precious stones consisting more than a lakh of rupees.Temple was repaired in the 14th and 15th centuries. The icon is 1 m. high, in a sitting position, carved in black marble. On special occasions the image is clothed with the angia (garment), which Maharana Fateh Singh (1884-1930) presented to the temple. The temple houses twenty-two statues of TIRTHANKARAS and fifty-two statues of Devas Kulikas. 

As tolerance Jain Community never stopped other religion visitors to do darshan. Lot of Vaishanavs & Bhil Communities are regular worshippers to Temple. They are too strong devotees of Tirth but They call Kesariyaji (Adinath) as Kala Baba (Black Lord) because Idol of Adinath is made up of black colour. Jain Community never thought same will become one day a big problem. Jain community has no objection & will never have of other religion devotees doing darshan of Jain Tirths but taking control of same illegally as their religion Tirth is ethically/ Morally incorrect. 

Jain community always respects everyones beliefs & emotions. Some mischief elements after order of supreme court misinterpreted to bhils that this judgement means Bhils will not be allowed to do darshan which resulted in riots by Bhil Community & situation was so worst that Jain families staying there due to threat to their life were forced to leave city .Jain Properties in that area was massively destroyed .   

We hereby request as a minority but oldest religion of Bharat country that our patience shouldnt be tested & with honour & respect Supreme courts Judgement to handover Shri Kesariyaji Jain Tirth to Jain community should be carried out at your earliest which will be highly appreciated by Jain Community Globally . We Jains are always taken for granted & deprived of welfare benefits available to minorities. Is this pluralism? 

Hence In Shri Kesariyaji Tirth matter please withdraw the review petition & execute Supreme Courts Order to handover managment to Jain Community at your earliest. 

Thanking you.

Yours respectfully, 

PRESIDENT/ 

Addresses : 

Hon'ble Prime Minister of India

Dr.Manmohan Singh

South Block, Raisina Hill

New Delhi 110 011, India

Copy to:

1.Smt.Sonia Gandhi,

President, Indian National  Congress,

10, Janpath, New Delhi-110011

India soniagandhi@sansad.nic.in

2. Shri A.R. Antulay,

Hon'ble Minister for Minority Affairs,

Govt. of India,

1, Jantar Mantar Road, New Delhi-110001

India

antulay.ar@nic.in , arantulay@nic.in

3. Smt. Vasudhara Rajeji

Honorable Chief Minister of Rajasthan

Pratap Chowk, Jhalawar - 326001, Rajasthan

 cmraj@raj.nic. in ; rajcm@raj.nic. in ; me@vasundhara- raje.com

Fax:  0141-2227687 or 0141-2228705 .

(Please confirm postal address of Chief Minister of Rajasthan )