Jain Center Of Greater Phoenix
History
Of the total Jain population in Phoenix, about half live in the East Valley. Most arrived in the 1980s, at which time they did not have a permanent meeting place and met in local elementary schools.
In 2005, JCGP acquired 4 acres of land for building a Jain Temple in Phoenix. Pratistha event was held from December 20 to December 26, 2008. The temple is located at 6250 S. 23rd Ave. The Hindu community also has a temple on another four acres next to the Jain Center, known as the Shree Nathji temple.
Architecture
The building uses white Makrana marble on the inside. The primary deities have been brought in from India, 51-inch high statues of Mahavir and Adinath. Behind the primary deities, 24 inches have been carved out to include 15-inch-high statues of tirthankars. Above the sanctum sanctorum, a 61 feet pinnacle or shikhara has been constructed.
The entrance of the temple includes a sandstone archway and a 41-foot Manastambha (nonviolence monument) stands outside the temple.
Gallery
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Exteriors of the Jain temple in Phoenix, Arizona
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Both Digambar and Śvetāmbara statues are placed in the same sanctum sanctorum
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Front entrance of the Jain temple
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Rishabhantha idol
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Mahavir Swami idol
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Main vedi