BELTSVILLE, Md. (RNS) — After more than a decade of grassroots fundraising efforts, the Jain Society of Metropolitan Washington has officially opened a new community temple complex — a $14 million white marble marvel located just 15 minutes away from the nation’s capital.
“You will see a theme here: White is our color,” said Rahul Jain, longtime devotee and head of public relations for the 45-year-old organization. “Everything is white, which symbolizes peace. This Jain center will become a symbol of peace in Washington, D.C.”
On the weekend of May 31, thousands of Jain Americans from the capital region and beyond gathered in celebration of the temple’s Param Pratishtha — the inauguration ceremony in which divine essence is officially infused into the worship space. Dressed in the sacred colors of yellow and white, families chanted and chatted with loved ones, some breaking their fasts on the auspicious occasion.
For 40 years, the community had gathered in a nearby single-family home built in the 1960s, as well as a few elementary school classrooms, to meet its spiritual needs, including a thriving Sunday school program that teaches 170 kids from ages 3 to 16. Though local Hindu temples have offered to include a Jain deity or two in their worship spaces, devotees have not enjoyed ample space to practice the vastly diverse Jain temple traditions.
An upgrade was past due, say the Jains.
“This Jain society started with 25 families in 1980 and now has grown to over 700 families in 2025,” said Pavan Zaveri, an Ohio-born Jain and one of the co-founders of Young Jains of America. “That kind of growth is exactly what we’ve seen all across the country, with the amount of engagement, inspiration, connection growing exponentially. Getting together in this new Jain temple will help increase our spirituality within ourselves, as well as across the community.”
A newly installed flag and flagpole are displayed at the Jain Society of Metropolitan Washington temple complex in Beltsville, Md., Sunday, June 1, 2025. (RNS photo/Richa Karmarkar)
Jainism, a Dharmic tradition born in sixth century India, revolves around three key tenets: non-violence, non-materialism and the belief that truth is multifaceted. Jains, who strive to minimize harm to all living beings, adopt strict vegetarian diets and engage in practices such as ritual fasting and meditation based on the Scriptures and guidance of 24 Tirthankaras, or spiritual teachers who have reached enlightenment. Jains also reject the idea of a creator god, emphasizing instead the karmic consequences of one’s actions and personal responsibility.
The group is a small minority both in India and the U.S., with about 200,000 American Jains. But according to Manoj Jain of the umbrella organization JAINA, Jains have long been making plans to increase their sphere of influence.
“We’re looking at how we can promote Jainism in North America, and how Jain values — which translate into vegetarianism, compassion, forgiveness — can be shared in a broader context,” said Jain, who is the chair of JAINA’s long-range planning committee. “This temple is a great way of doing that. You need a physical space that will allow people to gather and share common values, and then also to be able to show it to Americans overall.”
Rahul Jain said the temple’s location was strategic for a community seeking to shape national policy on better food labeling for vegetarians, to improve school lunch programs for Jain students, who do not consume onion or garlic, as harvesting root vegetables may cause harm. In addition, said Jain, the Maryland temple will serve as a meeting point for political leaders from India and beyond.
“In order to do that, to bring in political leaders, we wanted a space that can make a mark, as well as show them that this is a strong community,” said Jain, a partner in a consulting firm. “Jains are known for being one of the richest communities in India, and that’s no different here. It’s not foreign to anybody what the Indian community is doing for U.S. business. It’s helping them grow. How can Jains contribute? We bring ethical practices to business.”
People attend the Param Pratishtha, or inauguration ceremony, of the new Jain Society of Metropolitan Washington temple complex in Beltsville, Md., Sunday, June 1, 2025. (RNS photo/Richa Karmarkar)
The project was conceived in 2008 and bought land in 2010, but the team, none of whom had built a temple from scratch before, did not break ground until 2019. Then they were immediately derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Other obstacles included zoning laws, intercontinental shipping hiccups and increased building fees. Members of the community who had started in Sunday school in 2008 had gone to college by the time it was finished.
Creating a house of worship for a variety of Jains, say community leaders, was a challenge because three of the largest sects of Jainism — Śvetāmbara, Digambara and Sthānakavāsī — practice differently, with different images of the divine. Sthānakavāsī Jains, for instance, don’t believe in the concept of idols at all.
“This is a remarkable demonstration of how we have come together to keep everything under the same roof,” said Parthav Jailwala, who serves on the temple’s public relations committee. “It’s a very rare project where three big sanghs (communities) came together for a purpose and made it happen.”
In addition, as most gurus in the Jain tradition take a vow to travel by foot, it was almost impossible to find any who would come to lead prayers in the U.S.
But it’s “divine energy that keeps us going,” said Jailwala. “People who are more religious will call it divine energy, but it’s essentially a community drive. It’s a community spirit that we got to do something, and engaging your mind and driving everyone towards one goal.”
Community members have shown up rain or shine at emergency moments throughout the three years of active construction. Jailwala has seen a grandfather who helped found the first temple in 1989 brought to tears by his now-29-year-old grandson’s pledge of $50,000 to the new temple. Kids and teens have emptied their piggy banks, while families have been moved to drop their gold and diamond jewelry and cash into donation boxes.
Rahul Jain, from left, daughter Sara, and wife Sarita. (RNS photo/Richa Karmarkar)
These out-of-pocket donations are all a testament, say those involved, to the non-detachment that Jains carry in their hearts. Even non-Jain construction workers on the project, said Rahul Jain, “formally shed some of their karma. Essentially, once you shed all your karma, you are eligible to achieve moksha,” or enlightenment.
Sunday’s celebration marked the end of the first phase of building. The next will add more classrooms, a large kitchen and multipurpose meeting hall, along with a museum with exhibits sharing Jainism’s legacy.
Rahul’s 23-year-old daughter, a medical student named Sara, said the temple opening surprised many of the youth who have come through the society’s patshala over the years. “They’d always say, ‘Oh yeah, we’re gonna build a new temple!'” said Sara. “And we’d say, ‘yeah, maybe when we’re your age.'”
But for Sara Jain, a member of the Young Jains of America organization, “the kids are really lucky to have some place to actually call their own.”
“The teenagers have already found their photo spot out there, and the kids have already found the best places to hide inside,” she said. “When you come back from college or wherever you end up going, and you come back here, you’ll remember all of those things. I didn’t expect to care, but I’ve cried six times today.”
People attend the Param Pratishtha, or inauguration ceremony, of the new Jain Society of Metropolitan Washington temple complex in Beltsville, Md., Sunday, June 1, 2025. (RNS photo/Richa Karmarkar)