Editor Carla Geerdes
The table is decorated with fruits, sweets, rice, and vegetables. They are symbolic invitation for divine beings to come and bring their high energies to the temple. After the ceremony, the eatings are given to people.
The doors to the Sanctum are wide open…
…where the Pratimas have got their final positions, Lord Adinath (left) and Lord Parshvanath (right) are flanking Lord Mahavira.
Then the Sanctum could be entered to show devotion to the Pratimas. Only people with new temple clothes and mouth cover are admitted to the Sanctum.
Everybody among the gathered crowd felt part of a unique moment, even the smallest. In the main tent, the public could follow the procedure through big screens. For direct and first-hand experience in the temple, huge amounts of money had been paid.
From left: Samanijis Punya & Pratibha Pragya, Pramodha Chitrabhanu, Shree Chitrabhanu
Shree Chitrabhanu started Pratishtha Puja by reciting Acharya Hemchandra's scripture, due to hundreds of year's tradition. Then he went to the Sanctum…
…‘to put the spirit into the Pratimas' as he stated. He just had put the spirit into the Pratima of Lord Mahavira and is about to do so for Lord Parshvanath's statue (seen right from the Pratima, turning his head, with grey hairs, to the right).
For occasions like this, he had got a special mixture of sandalwood & saffron powder from his own Guru, long time ago.
The Samanijis were watching the procedure from outside; due to the crowd, they did not go inside.
Even editor Karuna Jain was participating in the ceremony actively, on her right hand she wears a reminder to the vow she had taken during Temple Initiation Puja some days ago. The nice Indian outfit, she is wearing, was one out of three, gifted to her by the Gudka family from www.inaphoto.com.
[click for more photos of Pratishtha Mahotsav]
This was also the day, when the temple flag was hissed. A red flag with a big white stripe in the middle is indicating a Jain temple.
The golden temple crowns were also set on this day with special ceremonies; these men from India are well versed with the procedure to tighten them with cement.
One storey below, a little procession, consisting of the donors of this golden crown and a temple Pujari from Mombassa (second left, turning back to camera) speak sacred verses and mantras. The building in the background is meant for changing of clothes before going to the temple, and storing the temple clothes of Pujari.
Many well known personalities enjoyed the ceremonies; Dr. Peter Flügel chairs the Centre for Jaina Studies, at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), at the University of London: www.soas.ac.uk/jainastudies)
They were happy to meet at this auspicious occasion; Dr. Atul Shah, editor of Jain Spirit Magazine (left), Dr. Peter Flügel, SOAS, Centre of Jaina studies (middle), editor Karuna Jain (right). For everyone, it was another unforgettable day.