Daily News & Analysis
Acharya Prem Suri
Sun, 25 Sep 2016-12:45pm, Mumbai
Procession and last rites to be held today.
The senior-most Jain monk, Tapagachadipati Premsuriswarji Maharajsaheb passed away in the wee hours of September 25 around 12.18 am. He had been unwell for over a month and was in hospital mainly for cough-related ailments and old age. On Saturday night, the community members had sent around messages to Jains across the city and world over to fast for better health of Jain monk. Around 10 lakh messages were passed around for the same. He was moved from Breach Candy Hospital to Saifee Hospital in the night.
The community will be having a procession on Sunday before the late 97-year-old monk's last rites are conducted.
Around 10,000 people are expected to be part of the procession. When he was in hospital, Shiv Sena President, Uddhav Thackeray along with other senior leaders of the Sena and other BJP leaders had gone to meet him. His body will be taken around in a Palkhi (a tradition among Jains) before the final rites are conducted. Moat of the places that will be on detour are populated by Jains. A temple will be constructed where the last rites are performed. The sadhu who was senior to 30,000 sadhus and sadhvis had taken diksha (renouncing of worldly life) at the age of 86.
The procession will start from Walkeshwar's Babu Amichand Pannalal Jain Derasar (temple) and make a detour to Babulnath, Sukhsagar, Prarthnasamaj, Navgrah Derasar near Marwadi Vidyalaya, French Bridge and Dharam Palace on Hughes Road before finally ending at Panchsheel Plaza where the last rites will be done. "A place has been identified and last rites are conducted only in sandalwood. That is what will be done and a temple will come up later," said Girish Jain, member of the community who was looking after the public relations of the Jain Sadhu.