Ahmedabad's Terapanthi Jains mourn Acharya’s death

The Terapanthi jain community in the state is in deep shock over the death of Acharya Mahapragna - the 10th spiritual head of this sect. Acharya Mahapragna, 90, passed away on Sunday, owing to a heart attack, at Sardar Shahar near Churu in Rajasthan.

As the news of Acharya's demise spread, followers of the Terapanthi philosophy in the city started moving to Sardar Shahar. There are 8,000-10,000 Jain families in the state that follow the Terapanthi ideology, out of which, more than 1,000 families live in Ahmedabad.

Bherulal Chopra, member of Pratinidhi Amrut Sansad of the Terapanthi community from Ahmedabad was at Sardar Shahar for the last rites of the supreme head of the sect. He said, "We are in deep shock. It is a loss for the whole society. At present, all the representatives of the Terapanthi community from Gujarat are here. There will be many condolence meetings in Ahmedabad and across the state."

Acharya Mahapragna was a writer, poet, philosopher and social reformer. He had developed the Preksha Dhyana - a holistic well-being technique that works at the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. He has established a Preksha Dhyan Kendra at Koba village near Gandhinagar.