Residents of West New York and Union City looked to the sky on Sunday, Aug. 2 as a helicopter swooped low overhead, raining small objects on the rooftops. Some locals were concerned and called the police, who quickly responded to 52nd Street just west of Bergenline Avenue, only to discover the small object were flower petals.
The flyover was part of a celebration marking the third anniversary of the Shree Digambar Jain Temple. Members of the temple crowded the streets and stood on scaffolding atop the roof, waving excitedly at the helicopter buzzing the neighborhood.
“Today is the final completion of the temple,” said Nitin R. Shah, president of Jain Samaj of USA (JSOU). “This is our anniversary day.”
The ceremony marked the third anniversary celebration of Prathista Mahotsav. “Today we finished the last step of putting a kalash and flag on the top of the temple and showered the temple with flowers,” said temple member Hetal K. Shah.
A kalash is a metal pitcher or pot with a large base and small mouth. The kalash is viewed as an auspicious object in Jainism, one of the oldest Indian religions.
“We are based in Jainism, which is devoted to nonviolence,” explained JSOU Secretary Kamlesh A. Shah.
The West New York location, founded in 2012, is the only Digambar Jain temple outside of India. A flag of peace flies atop the building and is replaced every year. A new one was put up as part of the anniversary celebration.
A place of worship
“We’ve been running this organization since 1972,” said Kamlesh. “This is our first physical temple in the U.S. We have roughly around 1,600 families all over the U.S. and Canada who are registered with us. On a normal day we get about 40 to 50 people come to worship here. When we have a gathering we get about 700, 800 people.”
The first floor of the temple contains a cafeteria, where free vegetarian meals are served during events. Upstairs is a large room for worship.
During the Prathista celebration, the upstairs room held many members dressed mostly in white, orange, red, and gold, sitting on the carpet or on low stools. Temple leaders visiting from India for the occasion led a celebratory service, chanting from printed texts.
Downstairs, girls in more colorful attire gathered to enjoy the festivities.
Temple members crowded the streets and stood on scaffolding atop the roof, waving excitedly at the helicopter buzzing the neighborhood.
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The temple was built in West New York due to the large Indian community in the region. “Between North Bergen, West New York, Guttenberg, and Jersey City, we have the biggest community here,” said Kamlesh. “And it’s easy transportation also. If somebody wants to come and they don’t have a car, they take a bus and they get right on Kennedy Boulevard and walk here.”
The temple is located at 538-540 52nd St. Events are held throughout the year based on the Jainism calendar and are open to members only.
Normally they don’t include a helicopter.
Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com.