Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra Koba
The Koba Kendra is a temple-research complex dedicated to the religious observances of the Jain community and to research in Jainism. The complex consists of a temple, a guru-mandir, a meditation center, a research library and a retreat. The Kendra was established 26 December 1980 under the auspices of Acharya Padamsagarsuri in the memory of his guru, the Late Acharya Kailashsagarsuri. The Kendra is located on the shore of the Sabarmati river, near Ahmedabad on the National Highway from Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar. The single most distinctive feature of this Kendra is the research library which aims to compile, preserve and make available for research Jain manuscripts and literature. The library complex also has space for a museum which will display the collection of Jain arts and artifacts acquired by the Kendra.

The main temple is dedicated to Lord Mahavir as the mool-nayak. There are a total of 11 images established on the main level. The basement of the temple is dedicated to Lord Adinath with images of Manibhadra and Padmavati and others. A curious feature of the temple is that every 22 of May, at about 2:07 pm, the exact time of the demise of Acharya Kailashsagarsuri, the sun's rays illuminate the forehead of the principal image. The guru-mandir marks the cremation site of Acharya Kailashsagarsuri. It has an image of Gautamswami and a crystal Charan.

The meditation center has 18 chambers, six of which are underground and thus ideal for study and meditation. The center also has classrooms for the instruction of new monks by experts in various fields. The education of junior monks is one of the primary responsibilities of a Jain acharya and consequently, under the guidance of Acharya Padamsagarsuri, this activity is of the greatest and central importance in the life of the Kendra.

The research library and museum (model view) is the other principal jewel of Koba. The Devardhiganin Kshamashraman Hastaprata Bhandagar is a manuscript library with over 200,000 items in its catalog. The collection spans the gamut of Jain writings: Agams, Logic, Philosophy, Grammar, History are all included. Many of the manuscripts are opulently decorated in gold and silver. There are over 1000 ancient palm-leaf manuscripts in this collection which require considerable care in preservation (sample manuscript). Under the guidance and encouragement of Acharya Padamsagarsuri, manuscripts, old texts and Jain artistic treasures are collected from all parts of India where he goes during the course of his wanderings. These irreplaceable and invaluable treasures of Jain tradition are preserved in properly climate controlled conditions and chemical treatment and preservation facilities have been built for this purpose.

The Arya Sudharmaswami Shrutagar is a research library with a collection of 70,000 books and pamphlets. Topics cover Indian heritage, culture, religion and philosophy with a special emphasis on Jain materials. The goal of the Kendra is to make the library a most comprehensive repository of Jain textual material so that researchers have an unparallelled access to the literature through the Kendra.

The Samrat Samprati Sangrahalaya is a museum in which the Kendra's collection of images (see samples: image1, image 2, image 3), illustrated manuscripts (another sample), miniatures (sample: gattaji), scrolls, announcements (sample) and wooden and ivory works of art is displayed.

A special attraction of this collection is the collection of Jain canonical literature over the ages which provides a panoramic view of how art has been harnessed to the task of depicting Jain texts through the ages.

The Arya Rakshitsuri Laboratory is the center of the cataloging and preservation efforts. Many of the items in the collections are fragile and perishable. Imaging them in more stable media and preserving the originals as well as the task of making the collection available to researchers worldwide is carried out here. The cataloguing and imaging of the collection requires the most modern computing technologies available, especially if the goal of making the resources available world-wide is to be achieved.

How you can help

Please make a bookmark to this page. Soon we shall have a list of equipment that the library and laboratory need. If you can donate equipment or help to acquire the equipment or want to help with the task of acquiring the equipment and publicity in your local community or elsewhere, please e-mail me.

Visits since January 1, 1998