8 hours ago
Only city in the world where non-veg food is completely banned, Muslims here..., name is..., located in...
New Delhi: There is only one city in the world where non-veg food is completely banned. Here you can neither eat nor sell non-vegetarian food nor keep it. This city, unique in itself, is in Gujarat. Its name is Palitana. It is a Jain religious city. The state government itself has strictly declared this city as a vegetarian city only.
Palitana is famous as 'Jain Temple Town' due to more than 900 Jain temples. People come here from far and wide. Especially people of Jain religion keep coming here in large numbers throughout the year. Palitana is a town and tehsil located in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat with Ahmedabad in its neighbourhood.
Jainism has the principle of non-violence (Anuvrat), under which violence cannot be done to any living being. In 2014, on the request of Jain monks, the Gujarat government declared Palitana a 'meat-free city' (Vegetarian City). The sale and consumption of meat, fish and eggs was completely banned here.
There are no slaughterhouses and non-vegetarian restaurants here. Tourists are also not allowed to bring non-vegetarian food into the city. Non-veg is completely banned here legally.
Palitana is the main pilgrimage site of the Shvetambara Jain community. There are about 900 temples located on the Shatrunjaya hill here, which are considered 'Siddhkshetra' (place of attaining salvation). According to Jain beliefs, many Tirthankaras had attained salvation on this hill. In 2014, Jain monks observed a religious fast.
The temples of Shatrunjay are famous for their carved architecture and excellent marble work, which were built from the 11th to the 20th century. One has to climb about 3,500 steps to reach the temples on the Shatrunjay hill. This place is associated with Jainism as well as regional rulers like the Gohil Rajputs.
The total population of Palitana is around 65,000. The literacy rate is 85%, 60 percent of the people here belong to the Jain community, 35 percent are Hindus and 5 percent are Muslims and others. Muslims living here also cannot eat non-veg. Religious tourism drives the economy of this city. Lakhs of devotees and tourists come here every year. Temple administration, hotels and dharamshalas provide major employment.
