700-year-old statues discovered in Nagar Parkar area of ​​Sindh province

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May 23, 2021: BaaghiTV: According to BBC Urdu, two other 700-year-old statues of Jainism found in Nagar Parker have been shifted to Hyderabad after a decision was taken to preserve them through a ‘chemical process’.

Nearly half a dozen Jain temples in the ancient city of Nagar Parkar in the desert region of Sindh are in a dilapidated condition, the restoration work of which is the responsibility of the Archaeological Department and Sindh Endowment Fund.

Nagar Parker has a run-off on one side and the Indian state of Gujarat on the other. Prior to partition, the people here had political, social, cultural and commercial ties with the Indian state of Gujarat. But the transfer of the statues to Hyderabad has been objected to by academic and literary circles in Thar and a campaign has been launched on social media in this regard, demanding that the statues be kept in the Nagar Parker Museum.

Archaeological Department DG Manzoor Qanasro told BBC Urdu, a foreign website, that the statues had to be repaired and that there was no staff at Nagar Parker at the moment. “As soon as the staff is deployed there, the statues will be moved.” Five idols were recovered during the restoration work of the ancient Jain temple in Nagarparkar city.

According to an expert involved in the restoration of the temple affiliated with the Sindh Endowment Fund, excavations during the restoration led to the discovery of the Garbhagra, an underground worship room, the path of which was blocked with stones. A two-foot white marble statue of Mahavira, an incarnation of the Jain religion, was found. According to the expert, five more statues of Mahvira, made of golden sandstone and ten to two feet high, were found during excavations at the Gaushala near the temple.

Experts say the temple in the city of Nagarhar was built in the 13th century. It was the Mahavira temple and was worshiped. Remember that Mahavira or Mahavira is the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankar (chain of Gurus) of Jain Dharma, who was born in Bihar in the sixth century AD. The Sindh Endowment Fund expert says they think that it will be safe here and when the situation improves and they will be able to return to their original place.

There are several Jain Dharma temples in and around Bhodesar, Viravah, in and around Nangarparkar, in which stone and marble work has been done. Stories have been told in some of them but there are no idols inside any of the temples. An ancient temple is also located in the city of Vera Wah. According to an expert of the Sindh Endowment Fund, this Jain temple is attributed to Shanti Natha, who was the sixth Tirthankar of Jain Dharma. He was born in a town near present-day Meerut. According to the expert, the area was occupied by the Indian Army during the 1971 war and they took the statue with them, which is now in the Mumbai Museum.

The five main principles of Jain Dharma are: non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, chastity and abstinence from the lure of wealth. Followers of this Dharma were considered environmentally friendly. Allah Nawaz Khoso, a resident of Nagar Parkar, was among those who saw the Jains here. He died a few years ago. He said in an interview before his death that Jenny cared for animals as well as humans. They took great care of cleanliness and ate before sunset. They do not light lamps in their homes so that insects do not burn to death and also provide food for animals and dogs.

According to Allah Nawaz Khoso, tensions between Pakistan and India forced Jain people to leave their homeland. In the year Pakistan was formed, he left here with his idols. The rest of the families that were there also moved in 1971. Archaeologist Dr. Kaleemullah Lashari, former secretary of the Department of Antiquities, says that Nagar Parkar and Pari Nagar have been strongholds of Jains. Before the advent of Islam, the Jain community flourished in trade and when Prosperous, they built this temple.

The present temples date back to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

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