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PHOENIX JAIN COMMUNITY IN US BREAKS GROUND ON SPIRITUAL CENTER
The first slab of marble has been laid in what the Valley’s Jain community believes can become America’s grandest Jain temple when it is dedicated in December 2008, with some 3,000 Jains from all over the world expected. Through a majestic arch of pink sandstone, followers will pass into a spacious temple with floors of white marble, featuring statues of the 24 lords or tirthankars, surrounded by idols. The south Phoenix site will become the center for area Jain prayer, meditation and other activities. Capping three days of festive celebrations on Sunday, members of the approximately 150 Jain families in the Valley dressed in their finest and most brilliant and colorful clothing from India to witness the historic “shilanyas,” or foundation stone ceremony. It included the burying of a time capsule and rites led by religious leaders from India.