50,000 to attend Jain monk’s last rites in Ahmedabad

Sanyas Chandrashekhar Vijayji Maharaj, a prominent and elderly Jain saint breathed his last in the city on Monday afternoon. A huge Palkhi yatra (last rally) will be taken out on Tuesday wherein more than 50,000 devotees from across the country are expected to participate.

Chandrashekhar Vijayji Maharaj belonged to Radhanpur of North Gujarat and used to travel barefoot. He had taken shelter in Ahmedabad for chatur maas (four auspicious months) when he died here on Monday. 

He will always be remembered for his significant contribution for the well-being of Jains in the state. The soft spoken saint was known for using striking words during his religious discourse. It was in 1995 that Maharaj established Amiyapur Tapovan Sanskar Peeth in the city to impart Jain culture among the children.

He also established Navsari Tapovan Sanskar Dham for the betterment of the children in Navsari. One of the ex-students of Maharaj, Vishok Shah said, "I was very lucky to get educated under his guidance. He loved children. The Tapovan Peeth of the city established by him has a record of no student of it has ever failed to clear the SSC and HSC examinations."

Maharaj was very popular among the students of Tapovan Peeth and was called as 'Gurumaa'. He was very active in religious activities.

Maharaj was offered the post of Acharya (the highest in Jains) but he rejected it, saying he will continue to do my duties without accepting the high position, said Bhadresh Jain, one of the devotees.