Latest news with #temple
ABC News
20-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Jain community raises millions to build marble temple in Melbourne
At an eye-catching construction site in Melbourne's south-east, ornately carved marble blocks, like the ones used in the Taj Mahal, are being assembled "like a jigsaw puzzle". By the end of next year, it's hoped the pieces will come together, and finally make real the Victorian Jain community's long-awaited dream of having their own temple. Jainism is an ancient Indian religion grounded in non-violence and personal spiritual development. Nitin Doshi, president of Melbourne Shwetambar Jain Sangh (MSJS), said while Victoria's Jain community was relatively small, over the past decade they had managed to fundraise most of the money needed for the project. "It was our wish and will that we build this community centre and temple with our own money," he said. "We have not approached anybody for financial help." In 2007, a small group of Jain families who gathered for religious activities formed the MSJS. One of the association's main aims is to create a place of worship for religious and cultural activities. "We wanted this and future generations to remain in touch with the religion and preach and practice the principles of Jainism over here in Melbourne," Mr Doshi said. To build Victoria's first Jain temple, Mr Doshi estimated they would need between $15 and $18 million. For the community of about 750 people, mostly first-generation migrants, the financial commitment is significant. "Everybody is in the settling stage," Mr Doshi said. "Many Jains came here as students, got their [permanent resident visa], and decided to make Melbourne their home." Despite these challenges, the community showed remarkable determination, and raised $12 million for the project over 10 years. In 2016-17, MSJS visited 275 families to share their plans and seek funding support. "We raised $3 million from 200 families," Mr Doshi said. That money was used to purchase the land for the temple and community centre. A ceremony marking the temple's construction brought in another $3.8 million in donations, while a later event to welcome deity statues from India raised $2 million, according to Mr Doshi. The community is still a few million short of the budget they need to finish building the temple. They plan to fundraise the remaining amount through upcoming events and continued community support. Building a traditional Jain temple in Australia presents unique challenges. Shwetal Shah, the project's structural consultant and a member of the Jain community, explained that under Jain religious values no steel can be used in the temple. He had to come up with a way to make sure the construction of the temple complied with Australian building codes and religious guidelines. Instead of steel, glass fibre has been used to reinforce a concrete frame that supports the temple's marble blocks. "We designed the structure and proved it was possible that concrete could sustain the load with the glass reinforcement," he said. The temple is being constructed using 1,500 tonnes of marble shipped from Makrana in Rajasthan, India, the same marble used in the Taj Mahal. Each of the 5,000 marble pieces that will be used in the temple has been crafted and assembled in Rajasthan to ensure the perfect fit, then numbered before being disassembled for shipping. "Once we knew it worked, we brought it here and put it back together like a jigsaw puzzle," Mr Shah said. Beyond financial contributions, the community has shown spiritual commitment to the project through daily fasting. Since August 2015, one member of Melbourne's Jain community has been fasting every day, Mr Doshi said. More than 3,500 fasts have occurred and they're set to continue until the temple's completion. The practice, known as Upvas, follows a rotating schedule that has grown from a small group to about 140 members. Vikram Jain, an accountant in his 40s, who joined the fasting roster along with his wife and son, explained the project's significance. Younger community members have also been fasting. Shanya Shah, a 20-year-old student studying a Bachelor of Health Science, began fasting when she was just 10 years old. "We believe this collective spiritual energy helps overcome obstacles along the way and allows smooth progression of building our [temple]," she said. The community hopes to complete the temple by late 2026, concluding a nearly two-decade journey. For Ms Shah, this historic project is meaningful and humbling. "It fills me with a deep sense of fulfilment, gratitude and pride, to be part of something," she said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because this [temple] is being built for the first time on Melbourne soil."
CTV News
19-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Atlantic Hindu Temple wraps up 5-day consecration ceremony Monday
The south Indian population is growing in Nova Scotia and now a new temple is opening for anyone seeking comfort and spirituality.
Washington Post
19-05-2025
- Washington Post
3 killed in lightning strike at Cambodia's Angkor Wat UNESCO site
BANGKOK — Three people were killed and several others injured when they were struck by lightning while visiting Cambodia's famous Angkor Wat temple complex. They had been seeking shelter around the main temple of the UNESCO site when the lightning struck late Friday afternoon. Video posted on social media showed two ambulances arriving in the aftermath and onlookers and site officials carrying out some injured people and helping others out on foot. Other images showed multiple people being treated in the hospital.
CBS News
16-05-2025
- CBS News
Monk arrested for allegedly embezzling $9 million from temple in Thailand
Thai police have arrested a Buddhist monk over allegations he embezzled more than $9 million from the prominent temple he ran which was funded by donations from devotees. Investigators from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) accuse Abbot Phra Thammachiranuwat from Wat Rai Khing of siphoning more than 300 million baht ($9.05 million) from the temple's bank account into his own. Investigators traced funds from the temple on Bangkok's western outskirts to an illegal online gambling network running baccarat card games, local media said. Temples in Buddhist-majority Thailand rely heavily on income from "merit-making" ceremonies where worshippers make donations in hopes of gaining good fortune and better reincarnation. Police charged Phra Thammachiranuwat with corruption and malfeasance, CIB deputy commissioner Jaroonkiat Pankaew told reporters at a press conference on Thursday. "This (arrest) is to help purify our religion," Jaroonkiat said. Authorities have arrested a second suspect and are investigating whether others were involved, while local media reported the abbot has now left the monkhood. Wat Rai Khing, believed to have been founded in 1851, houses a replica of the Buddha's footprint. Buddhist monks make merit during the Visakha Bucha Day or Vesak Day celebrations at Wat Dhammakaya Buddhist temple in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok on May 11, 2025. LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images The arrest from one of the Bangkok suburb's most prominent temples has triggered significant backlash on social media. "Next time I will donate to a hospital or school for good causes, not a temple," one user posted on social media. Others cautioned their fellow Buddhists to remain firm in their faith. "Not all monks are bad. Don't generalize," another social media user wrote. Buddhist temples in Thailand have made headlines for unusual reasons before. Last November, Thai police launched an investigation of a Buddhist monastery after authorities discovered 41 bodies on site which were allegedly used for meditation practices. In 2022, every single monk at a Buddhist temple in central Thailand was defrocked after they tested positive for methamphetamine. The monks were sent to a health clinic to undergo drug rehabilitation.
BreakingNews.ie
12-05-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Buddhist statue stolen from Japanese temple returned from South Korea
A 14th century Korean Buddhist statue stolen from a Japanese temple nearly 13 years ago has been returned after a long legal battle between Japan and South Korea over its ownership that had further strained sensitive ties between the two Asian neighbours. Dozens of temple members and local residents standing by the roadside applauded to welcome the statue as a truck carrying a wooden container with it arrived at Kannonji, a temple on Japan's western island of Tsushima. Advertisement The statue is expected to be kept at a local museum following a ceremony at the temple later in the day. The gilt bronze statue Bodhisatva – worshipped for mercy and compassion – is depicted in a sitting position and measures about 20in in height. It has been designated a cultural asset of the region and was one of two statues stolen in 2012 from Kannonji by thieves who were looking to sell them in South Korea. The South Korean government had returned the other statue to the Japanese temple soon after the authorities recovered it from the thieves, who were arrested and charged. Advertisement But the Bodhisatva became trapped in legal dispute after Buseoksa, a South Korean temple in the western coastal city of Seosan, filed a lawsuit, claiming it was the rightful owner. South Korea's Supreme Court in 2023 ruled in favour of the Japanese temple, ordering the South Korean temple to return the statue. After all the paperwork was completed in January, the statue remained on a 100-day loan to the South Korean temple for a farewell exhibit. The temple in South Korea said it was saddened by the statue's return and insisted it was the rightful owner. Advertisement 'All our faithful … feel like crying,' Woonou, the temple's chief monk, told The Associated Press over the phone. He insisted that Japan 'plundered' the statue from Korea and deserves 'international condemnation'. Sekko Tanaka, a former head monk at Kannonji, told reporters that the handover ceremony at the South Korean temple on Saturday was 'truly amicable and we shook hands'. 'A calm after a storm,' he said, adding that he felt relieved to see the dispute resolved while he is still alive. Advertisement Mr Tanaka said he hoped South Koreans would visit Tsushima and discover its centuries-old cultural ties with Korea, though there will now be higher security around the statue. Japan and South Korea have long had disputes over Japanese atrocities during its 1910-1945 colonisation of the Korean Peninsula, though their ties improved due to shared concern over regional security.
