We visited the Indian city of Palitana, which in 2014 became thefirst legally vegetarian city on Earth! Here meat and eggs are illegal, as wellas any activity involving their production. Find out more about our adventure ?
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The mountainous city of Palitana in India is the world’sfirst vegetarian city. The sale of eggs and meat here is prohibited, as well asthe slaughter of animals.
We decided to visit this secluded and little-known city todiscover its beautiful temples (of which there are over 900 in Palitana!) andto find out more about the vegetarian religion of Jainism.
WHERE IS PALITANA?
The vegetarian city of Palitana is located in the western regionof India – in Gujarat. On our trip there, we didn’t meet a single foreigntourist! This makes Palitana one of the true off the beaten trackdestinations in India.
The lack of foreigners isn’t that surprising though, consideringPalitana is quite far away from the major tourist cities. To reach theclosest major city, Mumbai, would take you 13 hours by car.
There are 3800 stone steps to climb before reaching Palitana.Climbing the steps can be quite difficult, particularly for older peoplebecause of the high temperature and long duration of the climb – which takesan hour and a half.
We clambered up the mountain quickly, but we saw many localsrenting transport to the top and back. It was a chair carried by two Indianmen.
WHAT IS JAINISM AND THE JAIN DIET?
Jainism is a peaceful, non-violent religion whose followers arestrict vegetarians. Jains emphasize self-discipline and self-control withthe goal of leading a peaceful life.
Jainism teaches against the consumption of meat and eggs,but consuming dairy products is allowed. Modern vegans will of course arguethat consuming dairy products also harms animals.
However, the Jain vegetarian diet does include other aspectsof animal conservation. For example, Jains don’t eat any vegetables thatgrow underground, such as potatoes, garlic, or onions – so as not to harm smallinsects or microorganisms. They also try to avoid destroying the entire plant bynot harvesting it from its roots.
The Jains that we met were walking barefoot so as tominimize their chances of killing insects on the road. They also told usthat for the same reason some of them don’t use any means of transport.
WHY IS PALITANA A VEGETARIAN CITY?
Palitana is considered one of the holiest cities for Jainsbecause it’s the city where Adinatha, the religion’s first savior, is believedto have walked among the hills.
That’s why every devout Jain should visit Palitana at leastonce in his/her life.
In 2014, 200 Jain monks decided that they’d rather diethan continue tolerating the slaughter and consumption of animals within thecity.
In June, 2014 they started a hunger strike,threatening to continue until they die, unless the government declares the citya “meat free zone.”
In August, 2014 the Gujarat government banned the sale ofmeat and eggs, as well as the slaughter of animals within the city.
WHO DIDN’T LIKE THE LAW?
The law wasn’t passed without complaints from some groups –mainly Muslims, butchers, and fishermen who live in the city.
Muslims protested against the new law which they saidwent against their right to consume meat.
Many in the meat industry also took a stand against thelaw because they lost their jobs that they worked at for many years.
The government’s decision is also questioned by many whodon’t think that it’s the government’s place to tell people what they can orcan’t eat, and that religion shouldn’t be involved in politics. And what do youthink?
If you’re interested in learning more about legal newsinvolving vegans then read our article: HugeWin for Vegans – Court Rules that Veganism is a Philosophical Belief!
And if you want to know more about veganism and the veganphilosophy then take a look at: VeganDiet – Beginners Guide (2020).
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Author: Martina Beg
