Lampless temple in Kochi comes to light as devotees throng to celebrate `Paryushan Parva’

The prosperous Jain community in Kochi has about 1,200 Swethambara Jains and 400 of them belong to the Sthanakvasi sect who worship without idols, `pujas’, incense, flowers, or lamps (hence the name lampless temple), as they believe that even flowers have life and that light can attract flies and kill them. They sit in meditation covering their nose and mouth, so that they do not inhale living organisms. The Deravasi Jains worship idols, perform `pujas’, light lamps and offer prayers.

The Lampless temple, the only one of its kind in Kerala, is a 100 years old. It’s just a cool spacious hall sans idols where men and women sit separately to meditate. Thousands of pigeons feeding on offerings from devotees greet your arrival. Jain monks and nuns walk barefoot to this Sthanak every year in pilgrimage. To cope with the increasing rush of Jain pilgrims, renovation plans are afoot estimated at around Rs 30 lakhs.

Jainism in Kerala dates back to the third century. Relics of the religion’s significant past presence is marked by temples that have survived the onslaught of time and fundamentalism, like the temple in Wyanad, or the Kallil Bhagavathi temple in Perumbavoor or the temple in Nagercoil.

Jainism is undergoing a revival, even abroad, with more people getting attracted to it by its cardinal principles, like `live and let live’,`forget and forgive’, and even vegetarianism. Even its prayers are not addressed to an individual god but to all those who are an embodiment of all virtues.