Digambar Jain Mahasabha

Digambar Jain Mahasabha or Shri Bharatvarshiya Digamber Jain Mahasabha is the oldest organisation of lay Jains in India.

Shri Bharatvarshiya Digambar Jain Mahasabha

The symbol of Jainism, the Jain Prateek Chihna
zone of influence
Formation	January 1, 1894; 130 years ago (1894-01-01)
Type	Jain religious organisation
Purpose	Religious, Educational, Non Profit, Charitable
Headquarters	Lucknow, New Delhi, Mumbai  India
Region served	India
Official language	Hindi and English
Secretary General	Prakash Chand Badjatya
Chairman of the Board	Gajraj jain Gangwal
Key people	Various Jains
Main organ	Board of directors
Affiliations	Various Jain organisations
Website	digjainmahasabha.org
Remarks	Oldest organisation of lay Jains

History

The Digambar Jain Mahasabha was founded in 1894 in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.^[1] It is considered a traditionalist organisation.^[2] Its two main branches are Dharm Sanrakshini Mahasabha and Teerth Sanrakshini Mahasabha.^{[citation needed][3]}

Awards

Bhagwan Mahavir Ahimsa Puraskar

Bhagwan Mahavir Ahimsa Puraskar was started in 2019 with Abhinandan Varthaman becoming the first recipient of the prestigious award. This award carries a cash prize worth Rs. 251,000 as well.^[4][5][6]

Publications

• Jain Gazette, a weekly publication of Dharm Sanrakshini Mahasabha, has been published regularly for the last 103 years. It claims to be the oldest Jain periodical in the world.^[7][8]
• Jain Mahiladarsh: a weekly women's magazine published since 1922, founded by Pandita Chandabai of Arrah and Magan Bai of Mumbai.^[9][10]
• Prachin Jain Tirth Jirnoddhar: A monthly devoted to Jain history and archaeology since 2003.^[11]

See also

• Mula Sangh
• Kashtha Sangh
• Chandabai
• Vishwa Jain Sangathan

References

1. Trilokchand Kothari, Di. Jain Mahasabha ka Atit (1895–1980), Pub. Digambar Jain Mahasabha karyalaya, 2007
2. Facets of Jainology: Selected Research Papers on Jain Society, By Vilas Adinath Sangave Published 2001, Popular Prakashan.
3. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
4. "Abhinandan Varthaman To Be Awarded Bhagwan Mahavir Ahimsa Puraskar". NDTV. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
5. "Abhinandan Varthaman to get Bhagwan Mahavir Ahimsa Puraskar". The Times of India. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
6. "IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman to be awarded with Bhagwan Mahavir Ahimsa Puraskar". Hindustan Times. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
7. . Digambarjainonline.com. 5 February 1998. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
8. Historical Dictionary of Jainism, Kristi L. Wiley, Scarecrow Press, 2004, p.42
9. Jain Mahiladarsh, April 2017, p.3
10. Life and Work of Shrimati Magan Bai, The Jaina Gazette, January 1935 (Vol. XXXII, No. 1, pp. 1-8).
11. Prachin Jain Tirth Jirnoddhar, Nov 2018, p.1

External links

• Jain Gazettee website 1 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine
• Prachin Jain Tirth Jirnoddhar website