A wealthy Jain couple from Himmatnagar in Gujarat has donated nearly Rs 200 crore and will take ‘diksha’ or become monks. Bhavesh Bhandari, and his wife, donated all their wealth during a ceremony in February, and will commit to a life of renunciation at an event later this month.
Bhandari, who was in the construction business, follows in the footsteps of his 19-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son who adopted monkhood in 2022. People from their community say that he and his wife were inspired by their children to “renounce their material attachments and join the ascetic path”.
After taking the pledge on April 22, the couple will have to break off all family ties. They will have to keep away from all ‘materialistic objects’. The couple plans to walk barefoot across India and survive on alms.
Minimum belongings
They will be allowed to own only two white garments, a bowl for alms and a “rajoharan”, a white broom Jain monks use to brush insects away from an area before they sit.
The decision by the Bhandari family has gained attention across the state. Earlier, Bhavaralal Jain, who pioneered the micro-irrigation system in India, had given up billions to lead a life of restraint.
The Bhandari couple, along with 35 others, took out a procession spanning four km where they donated all their possessions, including their mobile phones and air conditioners. Videos of the procession show the couple on a a chariot dressed like royalty.
In Jainism, taking ‘diksha’ is a significant commitment where the individual lives without material comforts, surviving on alms and wandering barefoot across the country.
Last year, a multi-millionaire diamond merchant and his wife in Gujarat made a similar move, five years after their 12-year-old son adopted monkhood.
Also Read: SC Refuses Early Hearing, Kejriwal To Remain In Jail
