Jains honored the 23rd Tirthankar with a birthday celebration attended by tens of thousands and featured music, worship, and major community announcements.
Attended by over 30,000 Jains and an assortment of others, a celebration commemorating the birth of the 23rdTirthankar, Bhagwan Parasvanath, was held at Azad Maidan last week and included both music and worship. The 23rdTirthankar lived sometime between 877 and 777 BCE and holds the distinction of being the earliest Jain leader to have been recognized as an historical figure. Many Jain temples are dedicated to his honor and his devotees are very numerous. His birthday celebration was held by the Jain International Organization and was considered the largest Jain celebration in Azad Maidan. It is estimated that 25,000 or more lamps were lit in devotional prayer to him during the celebration.
Parshwanath Bhagwan, 23rd Tirthankar of Jains. Koti Koti Vandan pic.twitter.com/bSNu1o22J0
— Rajesh Mehta (@Mehtaa_Rajesh) August 30, 2014
During the Tirthankar’s birthday celebration, the Jain International Organization (JIO) took advantage of the large gathering and announced a new mediclaim policy, which will affect at least 200,000 members. The JIO announced that the claim will cover everyone from newborns to 80-year-olds and that members need to “take up this policy as a community,” says Dr. Bharat Parmar. The new mediclaim includes maternity care, coverage for terrorism and accidental death coverage, which will result in monetary compensation paid to the family of an accident victim who dies. Dr. Parmar, one of the JIO directors, assured that the rates are nominal and the coverage extensive.
The JIO boasts more than 900,000 members and during the celebration, six dozen members took oaths to become new directors of the organizations 24 divisions. Founder and director of the JIO, Hemant Shah, maintains that it is living by the teachings of Parasvnath by taking the health of the community in a more collective direction and that the teachings of the 23rd Tirthankar remain relevant even today, in the modern age.