Day 307: Jain Society of Greater Detroit, Farmington Hills, Michigan
📌APIA Every Day (307) - The Jain Society of Greater Detroit (JSGD) was initially founded by a group of Indian Jain professionals who had immigrated to the United States following the Immigration Act of 1965. Many of these early members, who settled in the Detroit Metropolitan area, were primarily students pursuing higher education at American universities. In 1998, the JSGD established the first Jain temple in Detroit in the city’s suburb of Farmington Hills. This temple quickly became a significant gathering space for the Indian Jain community across the state.
The origins of the JSGD trace back to 1975, when a small congregation of just nine people began gathering at each other's homes in Taylor, Michigan, to observe religious holidays. By the end of that same year, the congregation had grown to 50 families, prompting the move of worship services to a local community center and church hall. In 1981, the Society was officially incorporated and in the coming years, established various ongoing community programs like an annual summer camp and religious school. In 1985, the Detroit Society hosted the third national Jain Convention of North America, inviting Jains from across the country to participate in workshops and lectures highlighting their shared heritage.
In 1989, the JSGD acquired three acres of wooded property in Farmington Hills for a future temple. Four years later, they purchased an adjacent three-acre lot with an existing house, which became a temporary religious center. Construction of the formal temple began in 1995 and 160 Jain families gathered in 1997 to perform a brick laying ceremony. In 1998, the JSGD held a ten-day Pratishtha Mahotsav ceremony to consecrate the completed building. The new temple included a prayer hall, a social hall, a kitchen, a library, and classrooms, with a distinctive marble shikhara (temple dome) on its exterior imported from India.
Currently, other than the Hindu-Jain Bharatiya Temple in Lansing, the JSGD Temple in Detroit is the only major Jain temple in the state. With a congregation of over 700 families, it continues to host weekly worship services and offers study classes for both youth and adults. In 2023, the JSGD celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Jain Center, an event attended by over 1,000 people, including Deputy Mayor of Farmington Hills Randy Bruce. During the celebration, the community raised $500,000 for the current temple’s expansion, reflecting the JSGD’s growing significance in the Detroit area.
Written by Avneet Dhaliwal
LEARN MORE:
Pluralism Project Archive: Jain Society of Greater Detroit
Jain Society of Greater Detroit
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