Members of the Jain community walked through south Kolkata on Thursday morning, demanding that the Parasnath Hills in Jharkhand be designated as a holy site for Jains and that tourism be banned there.
On January 5, a central notification asked the Jharkhand government to stay all tourism activities on the Parasnath Hills — as demanded by the Jains — and prohibit liquor and other intoxicants, and non-vegetarian food there.
Participants in Thursday’s rally said a stay and a complete ban were different. They want a notification ordering a “complete ban on all tourism-related activities” on the Parasnath Hills, on which is situated the sacred Sammed Shikharji.
The Jains say 20 of their 24 Tirthankars (saviours and spiritual teachers) had attained Mahanirvana (salvation) at Sammed Shikharji.
“What Kedarnath and Badrinath are for Hindus and what Mecca and Medina are for Muslims, Shikharji is for us. You cannot have a picnic in a hermitage,” said Adarsh Muni Maharaj, a Jain monk who walked in the rally.
“We are seeking a complete ban on any kind of tourism in Shikharji. We want it declared as a pious place of worship for Jains,” said Mitesh Sheth, president of Bhowanipore Murti Pujak Swetambar Sangh (better known as the Bhowanipore Jain Temple), and one of the organisers of the rally.
The rally began around 8am from the temple on Heyshyam Road, wound its way through Ramesh Mitra Road and Sarat Bose Road before returning to the temple around 9.30am. Organisers said around 3,000 people joined the rally.
The Jain community in Kolkata has around 35,000 members, said a community leader.
A notification by the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change had in August 2019 allowed tourism on the Parasnath Hills. The communication followed a proposal from Jharkhand’s erstwhile BJP government headed by Raghubar Das.
Jains have since been protesting the move to promote religious tourism on Parasnath Hills.
On January 5, the Union environment ministry sent an office memorandum to the Jharkhand government, asking it to immediately stop tourism and take all steps necessary to protect the hill’s sanctity.
Naman Lakra, deputy collector of Giridih, the district Parasnath is a part of, told this newspaper on Thursday: “Any formal order revoking the previous order has to come from the Centre. We will abide by the new order.”
The Jains who walked in the rally said their demand was simple. “Enforce a total ban on tourism. That means hotels, trekking, camping and other related activities,” said a volunteer with Purva Bharat Jain Sangh, which represents over 50 Jain groups.
Some tribal organisations have also staked claim to the Parasnath Hills, which they worship as Marang Buru, and held multiple demonstrations.
Arpit Shah, another volunteer with the Jain Sangh, smelt mischief. “For so many years, we have existed peacefully. Now, someone is trying to stoke tension,” he said.
Additional reporting by Animesh Bisoee
