Adherents of

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

first arrived in the United States in the 20th century. Jain immigration began in earnest in the late 1960s and continues to the present day.

History

In 1893, Virachand Gandhi became the first Jain delegate to visit the United States, representing Jainism in the first ever Parliament of World Religions. As the first practicing Jain to speak publicly in the United States on Jainism, he is a key figure in the history of American Jainism. The first St. Louis Jain temple in the United States was built for the

St. Louis World's Fair The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds totaling $15 mill ...

in 1904. After the fair, the temple moved to

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

and later to Los Angeles. It is now owned by the Jain Center of Southern California. Adherents of Jainism first arrived in the United States in 1944. Jain immigration began in earnest in the late 1960s after the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965. The United States has since become a center of the Jain diaspora. Swami Vivekananda at Parliament of Religions

Swami Vivekananda at Parliament of Religions

The first former Jain monastic to travel to the United States,

Chitrabhanu Gurudev Shree Chitrabhanu (July 26, 1922 – April 19, 2019) was a prominent figure in American Jainism. He was one of the co-founders of JAINA. Personal life He was born as Rup-Rajendra Shah to parents Chhogala and Chunibai on July 26, 1922, ...

, arrived in 1971. He gave several lectures about Jainism at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and established a Jain center in New York City. The first monk who traveled outside India by use of mechanical means was Acharya

Sushil Kumar Sushil Kumar (born 26 May 1983) is a former Indian wrestler and two-time Olympic medallist. His 2008 Olympic bronze medal was only the second for India in wrestling, and the first since Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav's bronze medal at the 1952 Summ ...

who arrived in the United States in 1975. He established multiple Jain centers, including International Mahavira Jain Mission popularly known as Siddhachalam. In the 1980s, he and Chitrabhanu inspired the founding of

Federation of Jain Associations in North America Jaina can refer to: * Jain/Jaina, a follower of Jainism, an ancient classical religion of India ** List of Jains, a list of various notable Jains ** JAINA, Federation of Jain Associations in North America (JAINA) * Jaina Island, an archaeological ...

to support the

Jain community The Jains in India are the last direct representatives of the ancient Shramana tradition. People who practice Jainism, an ancient religion of the Indian subcontinent, are collectively referred to as Jains. Sangha Jainism has a fourfold ord ...

in the United States and Canada. As of 2010 the United States contained the most

Jain temple A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...

s of any country in the Jain diaspora. At least one third of the Jains living outside India live in the United States, numbering close to 150,000. Jain temples in the United States, which numbered 26 as of 2006, frequently incorporate marble and arches in a style reminiscent of Rajasthan architecture. There are almost 100 distinct Jain congregations in the United States. Many Jains in the United States are professionals. They also frequently volunteer at animal welfare organizations. Many Jains also attend Hindu temples and Hindu events.

Jain sects

According to The Pluralism Project at

, "Most American Jains agree that the sectarian streams of Jainism that have been significant in India for 2,000 years are fast losing their currency in 20th century America...The sectarian divisions of the Jain tradition have been left behind as Jain Americans concentrate on the difficult task of appropriating the tradition in a new environment." As noted below, many Jain temples in the United States contain images from both the

Digambara ''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major Jain schools and branches, schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvetāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic pract ...

and Śvētāmbara traditions. Jain conventions and gatherings in America feature teachings from both sects.

Federation of Jain Associations in North America and Siddhachalam

216px, Main temple at Siddhachalam Jain center at New Jersey. Images of the tirthankaras Mahavira">New_Jersey.html" ;"title="Siddhachalam Jain center at New Jersey">Siddhachalam Jain center at New Jersey. Images of the tirthankaras Mahavira, Chandraprabha, Rishabha, Shantinatha and Parshvanatha. The Federation of Jain Associations in North America is an umbrella organization of local American and Canadian Jain congregations to preserve, practice, and promote Jainism and the Jain way of life. Siddhachalam in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

is the first pilgrimage site for Jains outside India, bringing together all Jains in one place for worship, study and reflection.

Jain symbols

The Federation of Jain Associations in North America uses a modified version of the standard Jain symbol, the

Jain emblem Jain symbols are symbols based on the Jain philosophy. Swastika The four arms of the swastika symbolize the four states of existence as per Jainism: # Heavenly beings ("''devas encantadia''") # Human beings # Hellish beings # ''Tiryancha'' ( ...

. It replaces the

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

with an '' om'' because the former is not considered a pious symbol in the western world.

Jain studies

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

hosts the Bhagwan Mahavir Professorship in Jain Studies, the first Jain Studies chair at a North American university. In 2016, the Jain Society and

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a post-doctoral fellowship in Jain studies.

American Jain centers

:Jain temples in the United States The Jain Center of America was the first Jain center in the United States. It opened in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1982. Since then, over 100 Jain centers and temples have opened in America. Most Jain centers are complexes that include a main temple housing Digambara and Śvētāmbara images, libraries, meeting rooms, guest rooms, and so forth.

Arizona

Jain Center of Greater Phoenix Jain Center of Greater Phoenix (JCGP) is a Jain temple in Phoenix, Arizona. It was established in 2008. It represents about 150 families in the Phoenix metro area. History Of the total Jain population in Phoenix, about half live in the East Val ...

California

* Jain Center of Northern California * Jain Center of Southern California * Jain Center of Greater Sacramento * Jain Society of San Diego * Jain Center Of Los Angeles

Colorado

* Jain Samaj of Colorado, Denver

Connecticut

* Jain Center of Connecticut

Florida

* Jain Vishwa Bharati of USA, Orlando, Florida * Jain Society Inc. of Tampa Bay * Jain Society of Central Florida, Inc. * Jain Center of South Florida * Jain Association of North East Florida

Georgia

* Augusta Jain Community * Jain Society of Greater Atlanta

Illinois

* Jain Society of Metro Chicago

Indiana

* Jain Center of Central Indiana

Kansas

* Kansas City Jain Sangh

Kentucky

* Jain Temple of Louisville

Louisiana

* Jain Center of Northwest Louisiana

Maryland

* Jain Society of Metro Washington

Massachusetts

* Jain Sangh of New England, Burlington, Massachusetts * Jain Center of Greater Boston, Norwood, Massachusetts

Michigan

* Jain Society of Greater Detroit, Inc. * Jain Society of Greater Lansing

Minnesota

* Jain Center of Minnesota

Missouri

* Jain Center of Greater St. Louis

Nevada

* Jain Center of Las Vegas

New Jersey

* Jain Center of New Jersey * Jain Sangh of Atlantic City - NJ * The Jain Sangh Inc. NJ (Cherry Hill Jain Sangh) * Jain Vishwa Bharti, Iselin, New Jersey * Siddhachalam, New Jersey

New York

* Jain Center of America * Jain Community of Buffalo * Jain Sangh of Hudson Valley * Jain Society of Capitol District-Albany * Jain Samaj of Long Island, NY * Jain Temple of New York

North Carolina

* Jain Center of Greater Charlotte * Jain Study Center of N. Carolina

Ohio

* Jain Center of Central Ohio, Columbus * Jain Center of Cincinnati/Dayton * Jain Society of Greater Cleveland * Jain Society of Toledo

Oklahoma

* Tulsa Jain Sangh

Pennsylvania

* Jain Center of Allentown * Jain Samaj of South Central PA * Jain Society of Pittsburgh * Samarpan Jain Sangh Philadelphia

Tennessee

* Jain Society of Middle Tennessee

Texas

* Jain Society of Houston * Jain Society of N. Texas/Dallas * Jain Sangh of Greater Austin TX *

Siddhayatan Siddhayatan, is a Jainism, Jain-Hindus, Hindu Tirtha (Hinduism), Tirth (pilgrimage site) in North America founded in 2008 by Acharya Shree Yogeesh. It is located on a site at Windom, Texas, Windom near Dallas, Texas, United States. Siddhayatan cur ...

Virginia

* Jain Society of Central Virginia - Richmond * Jain Temple of Virginia

Washington

* Jain Society of Seattle * Jain Center of Washington

Wisconsin

* Jain Religion Center of Wisconsin

Gallery

File:Jain Center of Central Ohio Columbus Ohio USA.jpg, Jain Center of Central Ohio in Columbus,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

File:Greater Baltimore Hindu-Jain Temple 05.jpg, Greater Baltimore Jain Temple File:Siddhachalam1.jpg, Main shrine at Siddhachalam Jain center, New Jersey File:NY temple2.jpg, Jain Center of America in New York City with images of Tirthankaras. File:Jain Temple -01 by Jain Center of Greater Phoenix (JCGP).jpg,

Manastambha In Jainism, a ''manastambha'' () is a pillar that is often constructed in front of Jain temples or large Jain statues. In North India, they are topped by four Tirthankara images. According to the ''Digambara'' Jain texts like '' Adi Purana'' ...

File:JCGP Temple (2).png, Rishabhantha idol at

File:JCGP Temple (1).png, Lord Mahaviraswami idol at

File:Lord Adinath JCNJ.jpg, Lord Adinatha at Franklin Township derasar File:Garbha Graha, JCNJ.jpg, Main vedi at Franklin Township derasar File:Goddesss JCNJ.jpg, Idol of

devi ''Devī'' (; ) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is Deva (Hinduism), ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The concept ...

at Franklin Township

Derasar A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings gen ...

File:Namokar Mantra JCNJ.jpg, Namokar Mantra at Terapanti shrine of Franklin Township

Notable Jain Americans

References

External links

Federation of Jain Associations in North America (JAINA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jainism In The United States Jain communities Asian diaspora in the United States