By Monica Vora

The history and values of Jainism formed the beginning of Paryushan Parva hundreds of years ago. Overtime, the festival has changed due to modern conveniences but the meaning has stayed the same. The origin of paryushan cannot be dated back to an exact moment as it began emerging as a tradition when modern Jainism began developing around the 6th century BCE. The history of this festival dates back to the agricultural lifestyles of India, centuries ago.

During this time, most individuals lived in modest and confined villages. Many regions of India can experience heavy rainfall during the monsoon season, and farmers and workers would often be compelled to refrain from their agricultural work at this time. The poor weather would make it challenging to travel on roads. The main principle in Jainism is ahimsa, which means non-violence towards all living creatures. The added moisture caused an increase in the number of insects and bugs in the environment, making it extremely difficult to travel without harming them.

During this time, sadhus and sadhvis tended to stay in their villages and spend their extra time celebrating their religion. The monsoon marked a period when these monks would focus on themselves internally by cleansing their souls and advancing their knowledge. Originally, Jain monks practiced this tradition during the full chatursma time period which lasted 70 days. They would spend their days meditating and practicing vrats (acts of self-control). In today’s age most followers have moved away from the small ancient villages of their ancestors yet Jain practices are still valued and practiced in modern society. As life became more urbanized, Jains worldwide found it increasingly difficult to practice the main principles of Jainism to their fullest everyday.

The word “Jainism” is derived from the word “conquer,” which refers to fighting against one’s passions and pleasures using self-restraint and control. The main principles of Jainism are non-violence, non-absolutism, and non-possessiveness. As the world became more advanced, lifestyles changed from simple to more complex. People moved away from their remote villages to cities where they would be presented with numerous temptations and added luxuries. Due to new conveniences, individuals found that the main doctrines of Jainism were beginning to fade away. Thus, the religious ritual Jain monks practiced during chatursma evolved into a festival that started being celebrated by Jain followers.

The word “Jainism” is derived from the word “conquer,” which refers to fighting against one’s passions and pleasures using self-restraint and control.

This eight-day festival inspires Jains worldwide to remember the roots and philosophies of Jainism. Celebrating paryushan also brings a social purpose as well. During the festival family and friends all come together for a cause. Though the ritual of paryushan pushes followers to abide by the main doctrines of Jainism, it specifically targets five required principles. These essentials separate and make paryushan unique from other Jain holidays.

The first principle is called sadharmik vatsalya, which means that all individuals should show love and gratitude not only to all Jains but to all living beings. This concept is often shown through actions that assist others. By conducting such actions, individuals can do their part and lead others on the proper pathway. The next principle touched upon is ahimsa, also called amari pravatan, which means to be non-violent in all aspects of one’s daily life. This includes thinking and speaking with pure intentions. Third, is atthama taap, which asks followers to practice self-control by fasting for three days or eating simple tasteless foods. This is meant to strengthen one’s willpower as he is forced to face a bit of discomfort. Chaitya paripati translates to pilgrimage to holy places.

This principle should be completed by followers as it shows devotion and respect to the faith. Lastly, kshamapana, means to ask for forgiveness from all the beings that may have suffered as a result of one’s actions. Jains believe strongly that it is important to forgive those who may have hurt us for their shortcomings and weaknesses. These five principles have provided the basis and foundation for this festival throughout history. Jains follow a set of rules in order to fulfill the five target principles of Jainism. Sunlight is a natural disinfectant and thus the level of bacteria in the atmosphere is less during the daytime than at night; therefore, Jains avoid eating between dusk and dawn. Jains avoid root vegetables like onions and garlic, as in order to eat these vegetables, one must destroy the entire plant.

By eating before sunset and avoiding vegetables that grow underground, Jains practice amari pravartan as they are non-violent. During this holy period, monks and individuals spend their evenings at their local temples, as chaitya paripati is one of the main principles. However, since the underlying purpose of paryushan is to show one’s self control, during the day they do not have to go to a place of worship for the ritual. They can simply pray and reflect in the peace of their own homes.

Throughout history, the main goals of paryushan have remained the same as those of the tirthankars who started practicing this tradition. However, since the external environment has changed overtime the way individuals go about the festival is different. In the past, people would avoid their “greed for gold” or be more mindful of their water consumption. Now, in modern society, people practice taap by avoiding modern conveniences such as cellphones, televisions, and laptops. These are just a few actions Jains are asked to follow in order to stay focused on the purpose of paryushan . Though the entire festival is dedicated to soul purification and self-searching, each of the eight days of the annual ritual has its own specific dedication. The first day of paryushan is known as the day when individuals focus on clearing their minds of daily worldly thoughts. This day is important because it puts followers on the right step by clarifying their thoughts.

The second day inspires people to donate to their local places of worship or to important worldwide causes. With each person conducting small acts of kindness, the world becomes a better place. The third day focuses on connecting the mind to the soul by practicing meditation for enlightenment. On the fourth day, Jains believe they receive well wishes and protection from the Goddess Laxmi by conducting a puja and offering her sweets. The fifth day is also known as “The Day of the Kalpasutra.” This is the day when people celebrate the Mahavir’s birth by organizing a boli (religious auctions) of the 14 silver statues of the dreams of Mahavir’s mother, Trishla Devi, when she was pregnant with him. The money from the boli is given and donated to the religious institution. The sixth and seventh days are the days of tolerance and endurance. Since many fast for the entire festival, these days are supposed to instill them with the strength to keep going on their spiritual journey.

The eighth and final day is titled, samvatsari, which translates to the “Gateway of Salvation”. It is the holiest day of the entire Jain calendar and also International Forgiveness Day. On this day, Jains observe a unique custom, when they utter the words micchammi dukkadam. This day marks the start of the Jain New Year, with Jains striving to start on a clean slate. On samvatsari, Shwetambar Jains also practice pratikraman in the evening where they continuously pray for four hours. During this time period, they honor the tirthankars and their gurus.

The rituals ends with a prayer called moti shanti, which hopes for global peace. Overall, it is apparent that the religious holiday of paryushan is highly important for Jain followers as many Jain beliefs are incorporated and woven through the festival. In early Jain history, individuals were unable to travel without harming living beings, which sparked the beginning of the festival. In modern times, many followers find themselves filled with many daily commitments which may cause them to drift away from their spirituality.

The festival of paryushan allows individuals to slow down and think about their righteousness. From researching this practice to visualizing it with my own eyes, I realized how important this festival is to followers since it only comes one a year. In a fast paced, highly technological world, I believe the need for paryushan is greater. We are consistently wanting more and more. These historical Jain traditions used by the tirthankars is a great way for individuals in today’s world to rid of their bad karma and sins they accumulate over the year. This is very significant, as many religions do not end the year with a tradition such as this one. I look forward to seeing how this festival continues to flourish over the years and see how it develops over ongoing generations.

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Courtesy: Young Jains of America (YJA)

The post Exploring Jainism in the 21st Century first appeared on Sindh Courier.

[Editor’s Note: This is Part 13 (Jains in Hala) of a series of articles based on a pre-partition book named “મારી સિંધ યાત્રા” (“منهنجي سنڌ جو سفر”) in Gujarati authored by Jain sadhu Shri Vidyavijayji, narrating his experiences of travel and stay in Karachi for about 2 and half a years between 1937 and 1939. It would be advisable to click on the Introductory Article and read it for a better understanding of the series. – Nasir Aijaz, Editor Sindh Courier]

Vimal Shah, Mumbai

Tikana

The Hindus of Sindh like Baniya, Soni, etc. do not follow any specific religion. Those who are religious – would believe in all the religions and those who are not – would believe in none. Despite that, Sikhism has touched this population and looks like most people believe in Guru Nanak. Hindus have built a place of worship in each village known as ‘Tikana’. ‘Guru Granth Sahib’ is kept in these Tikanas, visiting Sadhu Sants are accommodated there, and Panch-Panchayat holds meetings over there. Religious discourse is also held there. Most of the Sadhus visiting these villages are also non-vegetarians, possessing wealth and some of them even lead the life like a commoner. How would such Sadhus have the time for the spiritual uplift of this population?

[Vimal Shah: ‘Panch’ or ‘Panchayat’ is a governing body of the community consisting of respected people.]

Faith of the People

Although the people of this region are non-vegetarian, they are pious by heart and inquisitive. No sooner they hear that a Sadhu has arrived, they pay a visit and offer Sweets and Savories. They get astonished to know that we do not accept such things; do not travel by Ekka, Cars, or Railways; do not possess money; and do not touch even our own mother.”

Jains in Hala

If there’s a place in Sindh accommodating local and old-timer Jains, it’s Hala. There are two villages – ‘Old Hala’ and ‘New Hala’ only about 2 to 3 miles apart. The Jain community lives in the New Hala. The population of New Hala is about seven thousand, out of which about four thousand are Muslims and three thousand are Hindus. Except for the 175-200 people of about 40 Jain families, the rest of the Hindus are also non-vegetarians. Only those who have become ‘Vaishnav’ would be an exception.

Despite migrating from various places over hundreds of years, the turbans of Jains in Hala represent their natives

These people have mainly migrated from Pali and Jaisalmer. There’s one wealthy Jain family here. It is said that they have migrated from Radhanpur and settled here. Though, they have no linkages with their native anymore. Despite migrating from various places over hundreds of years, the turbans of Jains in Hala represent their natives. Palishahi turbans of the people migrated from Pali, and Jaisalmeri turbans of the people migrated from Jaisalmer. In general, any Jain wearing a turban is different from Sindh or any other region.

The attire of the Ladies

The attire of the ladies is very modest, covering the whole body, but the bangles made of ivory that they wear covering their hands from the wrist to armpit look very weird. Girls as small as two years also wear such ivory bangles. They carry about two fifty tolas of silver by wearing a ‘Kadiyo’, ‘Toda’ and ‘Langar’ on their feet. The petticoat worn by ladies is made of about 26-27 yards long cloth; and still, the lower part of the legs below the knees remains open. They wear a blouse and cover part of the stomach with a cloth. A cloth is hung with the blouse to cover the stomach. Generally, wear two dupattas. They wear a ‘Nathani’ and a ‘Bulla’ on the nose. Bulla is worn by piercing the nose between the two nostrils. Both these are hanging ornaments. Bulla is a sign of Musalman tradition. In the neck, they wear three to four folds of threads. They also wear ‘Timaniya’ and ‘Chakra’ necklaces. They have a particular style of braiding hair. They add wax to the hair and braid right up to the eyebrows covering their foreheads. Females from little girls’ right up to grownup ladies mostly color their lips.

These ladies of Jain families do not go out of the Jain Mohalla. They do not participate in the processions. Mandir is within the Mohalla, so they do not have difficulty in visiting the Mandir and Upashray.

[Vimal Shah: ‘Upashray’ is a multipurpose community centre for religious studies, rituals and holding discourses. Sadhus are also given accommodation in the Upashray.]

The only Mohalla

It is truly appreciable that these less than two hundred people of about forty Jain families strictly follow their religion and code of conduct, despite living amongst about seven thousand non-vegetarians, most of whom are Muslims. All the forty families live in a single Mohalla. If the main gate of the Mohalla is closed, no one can enter the Mohalla. Mandir, Upashray, Dharamshala – everything is within the Mohalla. We could sense the feeling of joy among the Jains of Hala since they considered themselves fortunate that they got an opportunity to take darshan of their beloved Gurus over the history of hundreds of years.

Fanaticism in Religion

All the forty Jain families belong to the Visha Oswal cast. All of them have settled here by migrating from outside for a very long time. Though they have become almost Sindhi since they are settled here over hundreds of years, they strictly follow the Jain religion in their thoughts, conduct and rituals.

Among the Jains here, the entire family of Sheth Kasturchand Parekh, Bhai Maherchandji, Sheth Hakemchandji, Sheth Bankilalji, and a few others are very pious and generous. All these people used the opportunity to offer their services during the illness of Muni Himanshuvijayji.

The Jain Mandir of Hala

There’s one Jain Mandir in Hala. For reasons unknown, the structure looks like a residence. There are many idols in the Mandir, but they are all lose. Despite the Jain community living here for hundreds of years, why would they not have installed any idols so far is an unsolved puzzle.

Two incidents – one of grief and another of joy happened during our stay at Hala.

Shaheed Himanshuvijayji

The incident of grief was that we lost a young sadhu aged only thirty years – an exceptional scholar of Sanskrit and Prakrit, passionate for History, interested in research, a good orator and author, and he was my disciple – Shree Himanshuvijayji. The Karachi Jain Sangh, Dr. Nyalchand of Karachi, Bhai Talakshi of Karachi, P.T. Shah, Bhai Khushalchand, Bhai Vrajlal, Ravichand, and many other volunteers, and The Hala Jain Sangh, did not leave any stone unturned in their attempt to save that lamp from extinguishing. And particularly despite the sleepless nights and round-the-clock nursing of Dr. Nyalchand, finally the lamp extinguished.

Things will happen at its destined time without fail. Life ends at the place where it is destined. Despite not having the plan of visiting Hala even in our dreams, the soul of that sadhu was demanding the soil of Hala. How can you alter things if his death was destined in Hala?

Mahavir Jayanti or Mahavir Janma Kalyanak

[Vimal Shah: Please read my article on the Birth Anniversary of last Jain Tirthankar Bhagwan Mahavir for more details.]

The incident of joy was that – the Hala Jain Sangh had overwhelmingly participated in all the religious activities like Updhan (days of austerity), Aththai Mahotsav (eight days of celebration), Varghodo (a religious procession), Swamivatsalya (a community meal like Bhandara / Langar). They did their best to host about two hundred guests who came from Hyderabad and Karachi, and we had an opportunity to celebrate Mahavir Jayanti among non-vegetarian population of Sindh with cooperation from Hindus and Muslims.

As said above, Hala is a Muslim majority village. In fact, Hala is a popular place in Sindh for Muslims. There are two seats of Peers here. Many Muslims are followers of these seats. When we had acquaintance with the current Peers on these seats, they extended cooperation by delivering instructions through their Murid that Muslims must stay away from violence on Mahavir Jayanti. The heads of various Hindu communities also propagated instructions among their communities for participation in the celebrations of Mahavir Jayanti, and they all stayed away from violence.

The Jains of Hala are capable of hoisting the flag of Jainism in Sindh

It is truly a matter of pleasure that in a region like Sindh where entire village people are non-vegetarian, a grand celebration of Mahavir Jayanti was held with cooperation from all the communities. It would leave an impression for a long time in the minds of those who witnessed the event of Mahavir Jayanti celebrations in the Gaushala maidan. The special feature of the event was that Muslim and Hindus played leading role in propagating the message of non-violence among the violent and non-vegetarian population. Many gentlemen came for the event from Hyderabad and Karachi. Bhai Khushalchand Vastachand from Karachi impressed everyone during the procession and his discourses.

The Jains of Hala are capable of hoisting the flag of Jainism in Sindh. They are wealthy, with religious spirit, sensible, work oriented. The Jain Sangh of Hala possess a Dadawadi about 1 to 1.5 miles away from the village. There’s a land also but it is not utilized effectively. I hope the Jains of Hala understand their duties.

In our detour to Hala, we had events of good and bad experiences, and we sacrificed a scholar and strong sadhu. We left Hala on the 3rd of May 1937, came to Fuleli river of Hydrabad on the 9th and entered Hyderabad on Wednesday, the 12th May after camping there for three days. (Continues)

Click here for Part-I, Part-II, Part-III, Part-IV, Part-V , Part-VI , Part-VII , Part-VIII , Part-IX, Part-X, Part-XI, Part-XII

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About the contributor of the series of Articles based on the book

Vimal Shah is a follower of Jainism by birth and is based in Mumbai, India. He is a Computer Engineer and holds a Diploma in Jainology from Mumbai University. He has immense interest in reading, writing, studying, and teaching Jain Philosophical subjects. He conducts classroom as well as on-line sessions on Jain Philosophical courses. He has created several power point presentations with animation which he uses while teaching and has participated in several Jain Community events to present and explain the relevant subjects to the visiting audience. He has significantly contributed to the translation, reviewing, and editing of the set of books ‘Compendium of Jainism’ of JAINA, USA from English to Gujarati – an initiative of the JAINA India Foundation. He is also associated with a Project for the translation of Jain Aagams (Scriptures) from Gujarati to English and continues to study various subjects and remains a student of Jain Philosophy. He has a special interest in the history and preservation of the Jain Heritage in Pakistan, and is associated with the Jain Heritage Foundation, New Delhi.

The post A Jain Sadhu’s Pilgrimage to Sindh (Part-XIII) first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro

There are many historic villages in Rawalpindi’s Gujar Khan Tehsil. One such village is Bhagpur, which is located about 4 km north of Gujar Khan town. Not much is written about its history. The earliest source on the origin of the village is given by Raizada Brijnath in Waja Tasmia Dehat Dangali wa Pharwala. According to Raizada Brijnath, it was first founded by Bhagu/Bhago after whom the village was named Bhagpur. Later, one Kala Mal Khatri who was a resident of Pargana Rohtas, settled in Bhagpur. Raizada Brijnath believes that Kala Mal was from the Phul lineage of the Khatri caste, hence Bhagpur was also known as Bhagpur Phulan. It is said that the ancestors of Kala Mal Khatri served as Kardars of the Gakhars Rais of Pharwala and Dangali who bestowed the jagir of Bhagpur on Kala Mal Khatri.

Bhagpur is also called Purna Bhagpur. I visited the village several times and met a few oral historians and village intellectuals who know the oral history of the village. One of the oral historians is Sabir Hussain. I conducted an interview with him about the history and heritage of Bhagpur village. Sabir Hussain is a notable of the Janjua tribe who knows the oral history of Bhagpur village. He is 75 years old. He is a retired Hawaldar from Pakistan Army and later served as Sub-Inspector security in the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Islamabad. I share some excerpts from an interview with him in this article. Sabir Hussain still recalls the names of Sikhs and Hindus who were well-reputed businessmen and landlords of the village which he learned from his grandfather Jiwan Khan Janjua. He not only remembers the names of the Hindu merchants but also their Choubaras (mansions) which were located in and around the village bazaar. He also identifies the names of the shopkeepers whose shops were located in the Bazaar of Bhagpur village. He is the most knowledgeable person in the village.

According to Sabir Hussain, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs lived in Bhagpur before the partition of 1947. Sikhs were in majority in the village. There was a bazaar in the village where the shops of both Hindus and Sikhs were located from where not only the residents of Bhagpur but also of the neighboring villages used to purchase items of daily use. He knows the names of a few Hindu merchants prominent amongst whom was Beli Ram. Prominent Sikhs of Bhagpur were Partab Singh, Jagta Singh, Gulab Singh, and others. A few Sikhs also owned agricultural land in Bhagpur village and near Dongi Dam. Bhagpur was dotted with choubaras (mansions) of both Hindus and Sikhs. The majority of the Choubaras were located in and around the village bazaar. There was a famous street of the Sonara Hindu community in the village which was called ‘Chhati Gali (covered street)’. The wooden ceiling of the street was ornately engraved.

Not a single Choubara has survived today. All of those have been either demolished or rebuilt

The porticoes of Choubaras of Bhagpur were noted for their ornamentation, which reflected the political and economic power of both Hindus and Sikhs in the area. Wooden doors were always flanked by sitting platforms, where once the older members of the family used to sit and observe the social and economic activities in a street, also received special treatment from the builders of the Choubaras of Bhagpur village. All the doors of the Choubaras were exquisitely carved.

Not a single Choubara has survived today. All of those have been either demolished or rebuilt. But Sabir Hussain informs that the majority of the Choubaras were noted for wooden balconies, jharokhas, and doors. Woodwork and stone were special architectural features of Choubaras in Bhagpur village.

Apart from Choubaras, Sabir Hussain also tells about the baolis, ban (water tanks), wells, shrines, temples, and samadhis in the village. He believes that there were about seven wells, two baolis (stepped wells), and two water tanks in the village. The main and most impressive baoli is located by road side along the bank of Sanghor Kas, a tributary of Nullah Kansi. Hindus used to take baths in the baoli. It was constructed of semi-masonry. One cannot find such baoli in the neighboring villages. Adjacent to this baoli is a well and dehri or samadhi of Hindu ascetic whose name Sabir Hussain does not know. It was a sacred place for both Hindus and Sikhs of Bhagpur and other neighboring villages.

It is a square structure. Such square Samadhi is not found in any neighboring village. However, one can see a few Samadhis of Hindu and Sikh ascetics in other villages in Gujar Khan Tehsil. The most impressive and grand Samadhi, albeit in shambles, is located at Karnali village which belongs to Baba Mohan Das, an Udasi saint.

I have discussed Samadhis in Pothohar in my book Reflections on the Pothohar Heritage which was published in 2020 by Emel Publications, Islamabad that Pothohari samadhis assume two forms: square and octagonal. Square samadhis are located at Karnali, Dera Bakhshian, Gulyana, in Gujar Khan Tehsil, Domeli in Sohawa tehsil in Jhelum district, Kot Fateh Khan, Qutbal in Fateh Jang in Attock district and octagonal samadhis at Bhaun in Chakwal district, Kot Fateh Khan in Attock district, Bagh Sardaran in Rawalpindi town. All of these samadhis are adorned with paintings. Some of these are also decorated with glazed tiles. The distinctive features of Pothohari samadhis are ribbed domes and high-neck drums. Other distinctive features of these samadhis are nearby tanks and baolis (stepped wells) where the yatris (pilgrims) used to take baths during the time of the annual fair. The rich Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs of Pothohar lavishly spent on the construction of these samadhis.

Samadhi at Bhagpur was painted from the inside. Apart from Samadhi, there also used to be a temple in Bhagpur village which was located opposite Samadhi and across the Sanghor Kas. Samadhi is located on the right bank of Sanghor Kas while the temple was situated on the left. The temple does not exist now.

Sabir Hussain also knows about wells that are located in different parts of the village. There is a well adjacent to the ban (water tank) near Government Boys Primary School that was built in the British period and recently rebuilt. The water tank has now disappeared but the well is still extant. There is a commemorative plaque on the wall of the well. Sabir Hussain believes that it was built in memory of a Hindu noble who died in the earthquake of 1935 in Quetta. It was probably built in memory of Pandit Gobind Ram as his name appears on the top of the commemorative plaque fixed on a wall of the well. To the north of the village was another well which was built by Hindus from where Muslims used to fetch water. There was also a baoli adjacent to the school that has disappeared now. To the south of the school was another well at a place which is locally called “Sheemay Wala Larr”. This well was also built by a Hindu noble of the village who was known as Sheema. There was also a well in the heart of the village which was called Sonaron Wala Kunwan (well of the Sonara community) as it was built by a Hindu noble from the Sonara community and was located in the Chhati Gali of Sonaras. This well is still extant and bears a donor plaque.

There are two popular shrines, including Baba Faiz Bakhsh and the bethak of Baba Jali Wali Sarkar in Bhagpur village, which are frequented by both Janjua Rajputs and Mughals. There are also shrines in Bhagpur Gujran, but the most popular is that of Baba Shamsuddin Qadiri, that is frequented and managed by the Gujjar community. After partition, Hindus and Sikhs left for India and the Mughals came from Kashmir and settled in Bhagpur village.

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About the Author

Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro, an anthropologist, has authored over 12 books in English and Urdu, including ‘Symbols in Stone: The Rock Art of Sindh’, ‘Perspectives on the art and architecture of Sindh’, ‘Memorial Stones: Tharparkar’ and ‘Archaeology, Religion and Art in Sindh’. He may be contacted at: zulfi04@hotmail.com

Courtesy: The Friday Times Naya Daur Lahore (Posted on April 14, 2023)

The post Historic Bhagpur Village – A witness to the past glory first appeared on Sindh Courier.

By Bramesh Bhandari  

The history of Mumbai would be incomplete without mention of Premchand Raichand, a Gujarati malletujar, who was a leading businessman of the nineteenth century. Premchand, originally from a Jain family from Surat, was the only businessman in Mumbai at that time who could speak fluent English with the British, French with the French traders and Spanish with the Portuguese.

Premchand Raichand Jain was born in 1832 in a Porwal Baniya family. He was the son of Raichand Dipchand Ji Jain. The Raichand family moved to Bombay when Premchand was a young boy. He was educated at Elphinstone College.

It is said that in those days when cotton was planted all over Gujarat and when all the ripe goods reached Mumbai, Premchand Raichand was the only buyer! Premchand Raichand was called Cotton King as he bought half of the total cotton production in the country.

The city of Manchester in England was considered the main center of cotton mills. As many as 180 cotton mills were thriving in Manchester in the nineteenth century, and most of them were supplied by Premchand Raichand.

Premchand Raichand as an international player of Roo started Roo Satta in Mumbai. In which Dwarkadas Gokaldas, Mathurdas Harjivan, two Shethiyas of Kapol Vanik caste were also partners of Premchand. These partners started speculating in commodity products. Initially, Premchand used to gamble in the compound of his bungalow in Bychalla. But the number started increasing gradually so he changed the venue.

Initially a total of 25 traders joined the exchange, out of which 18 were Gujarati, 4 Marwari and 2 South Indian and 1 Punjabi. The number increased to 318 in the first month itself. Common people called them as Chataiyas as mats were spread out in the open under banyan trees.

Horniman Circle near Churchgate had a Town Hall in those days. Today, the place has become a big park. There, under a banyan tree, speculation began systematically under the guidance of five prominent mill-owners named Premchand (Gujarati Jain), Dwarkadas Dharamsey (A Hindu Kutchi Bhatia, counted as Gujarati), Mathurdas Vissani (A Hindu Kutchi Bhatia counted as Gujarati), Ghanshyamdas Khatau (A Hindu Kutchi Bhatia counted as Gujarati) and Dinsha Pittit (A Gujarati Parsi). It framed rules with a view to bringing discipline along the British lines. One rupee as membership fee for participating in the auction was decided and the organization was named the Native Share and Stock Brokers Association. The same organization is today’s Bombay Stock Exchange.

Initially a total of 25 traders joined the exchange, out of which 18 were Gujarati, 4 Marwari and 2 South Indian and 1 Punjabi. The number increased to 318 in the first month itself. Common people called them as Chataiyas as mats were spread out in the open under banyan trees.

The organization that grew under the banyan tree has become the banyan tree of the economy today

There is grandeur in every talk of the Bombay Stock Exchange. The amount of deals done here, the presence of the country’s top companies, millions of families involved in the economic upheaval, Bombay Stock Exchange enjoys the status as a model financial institution not only of India or Asia, but of the entire world.

Bombay Stock Exchange is the 11th largest stock exchange in the world with a market cap of Rs.148 lakh crore. It ranks 5th in the world in terms of the number of daily transactions.

More than 5000 companies are registered in Bombay Stock Exchange. It is number one in the world in terms of this number.

The World Federation of Exchanges has been formed to regulate stock exchanges around the world, with headquarters in Paris. Bombay Stock Exchange also occupies a prominent position among the major stock exchanges which are employed for the management of this institution.

Today, the stock exchange building is a symbol of the whole of Mumbai, but 144 years ago, it started under a banyan tree on the same spot.

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Bramesh Bhandari has been actively trading the Indian Stock Markets since over 15+ Years.

Courtesy: BrameshTech Analysis – Source: From the diary of Rajnil Dave (Posted on March 29, 2023) and Wikipedia

Thanks to Vimal Shah for sharing the information and links. Mr. Shah is based in Mumbai, India who is follower of Jainism by birth. He is Computer Engineer and holds Diploma in Jainology from Mumbai University. He is studying various subjects of Jainism.

The post 144-years ago, a Gujarati Jain founded the Bombay Stock Exchange first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Most of the indigenous language sources lack quantitative data. The contemporary literature in Gujarati, Rajasthani, Hindi and Sanskrit, etc., speak of the ‘affluence’ and ‘prosperity’ of individual Jains and of the community in different places but they seldom give any significant statistical data.

Surendra Gopal

Sabalsingh Mothia was an extremely rich trader. When Banarsidas reached Agra, he was enjoying with his friends a program of music and paid no heed to his pleas for clearing the accounts. This continued for thirty months. Obviously rich traders could afford to ignore their subordinates who had to submit to their whims. Eventually Banarsidas met Sabalsingh’s brother-in-law and requested him to plead on his behalf. He persuaded Sabalsingh to give in writing that Banarsidas owed nothing to him. This long wait must have disenchanted Banarsidas from pursuing a commercial profession.

Banarsidas gave up his trading activities and for the rest of his life devoted himself to literary and religious pursuits.

It is said in the time of Jahangir, Shvetambar Jain families lived in Agraa,

Savaji Kabanji Parekh of Porbandar was another important Jain trader. He complained to Shah Jahan when the local administrator raised tax from 3 p.c. to 6 p.c. on goods sold by him. He succeeded in securing an imperial firman which ordered all the local officials not to exact more than 3 p.c. as tax. He constructed a Jain temple in 1635 A.D. but later on accepted Pushti Marg, as propagated by Vallabhacharya.

A group of fourteen merchants lent to the East India Company in Bengal between 31 March and 25 July 1670 a sum of 5.23 lakhs of rupees. Of these Kalyanchand Jesang and Kapurchand were certainly Jains.

The narrative underlines certain important facts about the economic life of Jains in medieval times. First, trade was their primary economic occupation. In pursuit of trade they had spread all over north India from Multan in the West to Patna, Rajmahal, etc. in the east. They were to be found in major villages, small towns and important commercial centers. Capital could be easily raised for investment on credit. Loans were available as a part of normal business practice.

The affluent merchants had a wide trading network which enabled them to participate in long distance trade and also receive and transfer money from and to different places.

The combination of trade, banking and shroffage brought immense material prosperity to some Jains. On occasions the economic clout was translated into political influence as the history of the House of Jagat Seth amply demonstrates.

Another Jain to make his mark as a distinguished administrator was Muhnot Nainsi, who was at one time the Prime Minister of Jodhpur and who came from a family of distinguished administrators. He was a historian as well. He led the State armed forces on several occasions. His valour on the battle-field made the enemies tremble with tear.

The Mughal capital Agra, the commercial entrepot of the Mughal Empire, was the headquarters of many eminent Jain traders. Besides Sabalsingh, we know of Hiranand Mukim who was so rich that the Mughal Emperor Jahangir visited his house as an invitee in 1610. Jahangir permitted him to lead a congregation of Jains from Allahabad to the Jain holy place Sammed Shikhar in Bihar. Uttamchand Jawahari has been mentioned as another jeweler of Agra.

It is clear that in addition to their participation in banking and shroffage, a major source of Jain affluence was their trade in diamonds, pearls and other precious stones. In the seventeenth century diamond trade in India was booming. Even the Europeans participated in this trade. Fischel notes, “…prominent London Jews, who, attracted by the wealth of the diamond mines at Golconda, seriously considered going to India settling in Madras. Already in 1670 London Jews were interested in the Indian Diamond trade and a certain Rodrigues of Berry Street and a Da Costa are reported to have paid some money into the East India Company Bank”.

Involvement in trade, banking usury exchange of coins required the person concerned to pick up at least rudiments of 3 rupees—reading, writing and arithmetic. Since trade was their primary profession, they were a literate community, Literacy among Jains had deeper roots as they were exposed to the preaching of their wandering monks. Wherever there was a concentration of some Jains, during the rainy season, some monks would stay, deliver lectures on religious scriptures. Hence, as a community the Jains had enough incentive to learn to read and write. They were skilled in accounting. Moving from place to place, they had also developed expertise in local languages and were invariably familiar with two or three languages. The grandfather or Banarsidas had studied both Hindi and Persian. Hence, many Jains were offered jobs in the administration, before and under the imperial Mughals and the local nobility.

Jobs in the administration were the next important source of livelihood for the Jains.

Sangram was appointed a minister by Sher Shah Suri. His son Karmachandra eventually rose to become a trusted minister of Akbar.

Under Akbar the Great, Than Singh was an important minister. He was responsible for Akbar’s invitation to Hiravijaya Suri.

When Man Singh conquered Bengal on behalf of Akbar, he carried with him a number of Jains, who were then entrusted with the task of reorganizing the revenue administration. Diwan Dhanna Srimal has been mentioned as one such official in Bengal. Kharagsen the father of Banarsidas went to Bengal to serve under Dhanna Srimal. He was made a treasurer of Potdar of four parganas and he collected revenue with the help of two karkuns and forwarded the amount so collected to the local governor. He returned to Jaunpur after Dhanna suddenly died.

Nanu Gadha accompanied Akbar’s General Man Singh to Bengal. He became so affluent that he constructed eighty temples in Bengal. He owned seventy-two elephants.

Kharagsen’s father Muldas was also a government official, who served in the jaagir of Narwar, granted to a Mughal official. It is reported that along with the collection of the revenue, he also advanced loans and earned extra money.

Another Jain, Jaita Shah was also a confidante of Akbar.

Among other administrative officials at the local level, mention may be made of Sahaskaran of Viramgaon (near Ahmedabad), who commanded a force of 500 cavalry.

Another Jain to make his mark as a distinguished administrator was Muhnot Nainsi, who was at one time the Prime Minister of Jodhpur and who came from a family of distinguished administrators. He was a historian as well. He led the State armed forces on several occasions. His valour on the battle-field made the enemies tremble with tear. (Concludes) 

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Courtesy: Jain World

Click here for Part-I, Part-II and Part-III 

The post ECONOMIC LIFE OF JAINS IN MEDIEVAL TIMES (PART-IV) first appeared on Sindh Courier.

By Nazarul Islam            

A full century ago, in July 1921, a headline in the Literary Digest declared the United States the “most religious country on earth.” Even today, America is often described as the “most religious country in the developed world”—and it’s true that, while surveys show that religious membership and belief in God have been declining here for many years, the American people remain by many measures much more religious than their counterparts in much of Europe.

But by some measures, one of the most religious countries on earth today is India—a fact with important implications for its democracy, its relations with its neighbors, and its future role in world affairs. Indeed, over the past decade and a half, India was one of the few countries to become more religious. Like the United States, where about 70 percent of the people identify as some kind of Christian, India also has a dominant religious group, Hindus.

However, also like the United States, religion in India is fairly diverse—with large numbers of Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians. Historically, there has been friction among these groups, and even now religious issues often dominate the headlines in India. But a recent poll from Pew suggests that things may be better than they appear.

About 80 percent of India’s population is Hindu, accounting for about 94 percent of the world’s Hindus (around a billion people). About 14 percent of the country’s population (some 200 million people) is Muslim, constituting about 11 percent of the world’s Muslim population.

More than 95 percent of the Pew poll’s respondents say that religion is important or very important in their lives. Religious identity is also important to people but interestingly, this has led to a syncretic identity of sorts with different religious groups adopting each other’s customs.

A fifth of Muslims and 31 percent of Christians celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali, while 17 percent of Indians celebrate Christmas despite the Christian population only totaling 3 percent.

The syncretism has its limits. Many Indians are not comfortable with the trend toward the miscibility of customs, preferring some level of religious and caste-based separation, and the Pew poll intriguingly explores some of the practical implications of that preference.

For example, roughly 80 percent of Indians say they believe it is “important” to stop people from their community from marrying into another religion or another caste. Despite this, 80 percent of Indians said that respecting other religions was a “very important” part of living their own religion, and another 15 percent said it was “somewhat important.”

Just as the United States has major religious differences by region, strong regional variety exists within India, according to the survey. Historically, South India has been a stronghold of the opposition Congress party; even today, most of it is ruled by the Congress and other opposition parties. This differing political identity also has a differing religious identity to match it—Hindus in South India live differently than their northern neighbors.

For instance, 18 percent of Hindus say a person can be a Hindu if they eat beef—only 9 percent of Hindus in North India and 8 percent of Hindus in Central India agree with the premise. However, the topic is more controversial in the South—41 percent say yes and 50 percent say no. This difference is also apparent in other religions as well—12 percent of Indian Muslims say a person can be a Muslim if they eat pork and while the numbers are low in North (17 percent) and Central (3 percent) India, they are significantly higher in South India (29 percent).

One striking subset of the Pew data involves religion and fertility.

As Robert Zubrin has noted, “Since the time of Malthus, India has always been a prime target in the eyes of would-be population controllers.” A half-century ago, Paul Ehrlich opened his 1968 bestseller The Population Bomb with a disturbingly animalistic description of a “stinking hot night” he spent in Delhi. Ehrlich was convinced that there would be no way to feed the growing numbers of Indians, and that India must, as he put it in a 1967 speech, be allowed to “slip down the drain.”

The Western obsession with India’s growing population led to funding (including considerable U.S. funding) for mass sterilization campaigns in the 1960s,’70s, and ’80s. Millions of Indians were sterilized. The Indian and foreign instigators of these policies failed to understand how innovation—in the form of the Green Revolution—would make it possible to feed the country’s growing population.

They also apparently failed to understand that India’s fertility rate would start to fall. By the end of this decade, India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country. But the Pew data show that in the last three decades, the fertility rate for each of India’s major religions has fallen rapidly. India’s Muslims have a fertility rate above the replacement rate of 2.1, but even they have seen the “most significant decline” in fertility. India’s Hindus and big religious minorities are all at or below replacement:

If these fertility trends continue, and if India’s population doesn’t grow significantly because of immigration, the country’s population growth will inevitably level off, and within decades India’s population will begin to shrink. The higher fertility rate among India’s Muslims suggests that the minority Muslim population will grow as a share of the overall population, unless the Muslims, too, sink below the replacement rate in the years ahead.

Finally, the impact on religious sentiment of the last seven years of political developments—since Narendra Modi became prime minister—is also clear in the Pew poll. Modi’s party, the BJP, had a favorability of +39 in the poll, whereas the Congress party had a favorability of +22. The BJP’s numbers were significantly strengthened by the fact that 62 percent of Hindus viewed them favorably with only 48 percent saying the same about the Congress party.

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None of the religious groups polled especially favorably about the Congress party—its best numbers were among Christians but even then, only 58 percent had a favorable impression. This development is reflected across the political landscape—minority religious groups have begun to desert the Congress party and move to outfits made explicitly for them.

For instance, Muslims now have Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (All India Council for Unity of Muslims) as an option. The party had a presence in elections this year and Owaisi has suggested they plan to compete in elections next year.

That alignment of minority parties and minority religions, when taken in combination with the country’s overall rising religiosity and disturbing rates of religious persecution, and a strong preference among many Indians not to have friends and neighbors of different religions, hint at troubling possibilities for political-religious clashes in the years ahead.

Nazarul Islam

The Bengal-born writer Nazarul Islam is a senior educationist based in USA. He writes for Sindh Courier and the newspapers of Bangladesh, India and America. He is author of a recently published book ‘Chasing Hope’ – a compilation of his 119 articles.

The post India’s disturbing religious persecution first appeared on Sindh Courier.