Palitana, a city in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district, has made history as the first city globally to prohibit the sale and consumption of non-vegetarian food, making it illegal. This trailblazing decision signifies a major cultural and religious shift, driven by the strong influence of Jainism and its core principles.

The ban in Palitana includes the sale and consumption of meat and the slaughtering of animals for meat, making these acts illegal and subject to legal penalties. This decision came after continuous protests by around 200 Jain monks, who demanded the closure of about 250 butcher shops in the city. Their demonstrations highlighted the religious and ethical beliefs of the Jain community, which upholds non-violence (ahimsa) as a core principle.

For centuries now, Jains have been peacefully living in the vicinity of meat consumers and meat sellers without demanding them to mend their ways because they strongly believe in the principle of ‘Anekantwad’, a profound philosophical concept gifted by Jainism to the world, which could be loosely translated to ‘developing a maturity to observe tolerance and diversity’. On occasions when they did oppose meat ban and sale near their temples and holy centres, it was during the eight days of holy Paryushana Parva—the most important religious observance of the year for Jains when they seek forgiveness for the sins committed, knowingly or unknowingly, through thought, word, and deeds, throughout the past year.

The religious significance of Palitana and Shatrunjay Hills for Jains

But Palitana is one of the holiest religious centres for the Shwetambhar Murtipujak sect of Jainism. Palitana is a revered pilgrimage destination for Jains, often referred to as “Jain Temple Town.” Located near the Shatrunjaya Hills, it boasts over 800 temples, with the Adinath Temple being the most famous. These sites attract thousands of devotees and tourists each year, highlighting the city’s spiritual importance.

To present a context, Palitana is to Jains what Ram Janmabhoomi is for Hindus, Jerusalem is for Christians, and Mecca is for Muslims. Jains consider Palitana sacred for it is the cradle of the Shatrunjay Hills, referred to as ‘Shashwat Bhumi’ or eternal land that will outlive the vicissitudes of time and will continue to be a beacon of religiosity and salvation for billions of souls to come.

According to Jainism, countless souls have attained salvation or ‘nirwana’ to moksha through the sacred Shatrunjay Tirth, including the first Tirthankar of the current cycle, Lord Aadinath, the founder of the Ikshavaku dynasty—the eponymous name that derived from an incident involving a Jain Shravak offering Ikshu juice (sugarcane juice) to break Lord Aadinath’s rigorous penance of over 400 days of fasting, popularly referred to as ‘Varshitapa’ in Jain parlance. The religious shrine, according to Jains, is billions of years old and will live for boundless time to come.

The sanctity of life of all living beings and the religious significance of Shatrunjay Hills form the basis for the demand for a meat ban in Palitana

It is this sacredness of the Shatrunjay Hills and the religious shrine perched atop, along with the core Jainism tenet of Ahinsā that form the basis of the demands to ban the sale and consumption of meat in Palitana. Ahinsā is another important tenet of Jainism that forms the cornerstone of its ethics and doctrine. It means to be utterly harmless, not only to oneself but to others as well, including all forms of life, from the largest mammals to the smallest microorganisms on Earth. Jainism professes equal rights for all living beings regardless of their size, shape, or spiritual development. No living being has a right to harm, injure, or kill any other living being, be it animals, insects, or plants. That not just human life but every life of every living being is sacred and inviolable forms the bedrock of Jainism’s Ahimsa tenet.

While in many religions, the sanctity of life is applied solely to the human species, in Jainism, the idea that life is sacred, holy, precious and inviolable is applied to all living beings, including animals, insects and plants. To uphold this principle and show empathy for animals subjected to merciless slaughter, the Jains wanted to ensure their holiest shrine became a haven for innocent creatures, where they could flourish and live their lives without being slaughtered for mankind’s culinary preferences.