Ninety and counting! On February 9, the Japanese Buddhist Temple (officially known as the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Temple) beside Dhakuria bridge in south Kolkata witnessed a small gathering of people (devotees in picture) to celebrate 90 years of its presence.
The founder
The temple was established by Nichidatsu Fujii (popularly known as Fujii Guruji) (1885-1985), a follower of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism. Nichiren (1222-82) was a Japanese Buddhist priest and philosopher and a follower of the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra is a collection of teachings Buddha delivered towards the end of his life.
The foundation
The land for the temple (the Japanese Buddhist Temple beside Dhakuria bridge in picture) was donated by industrialist Jugal Kishore Birla. On April 28, 1934, bhumi puja of the temple was conducted. The responsibility of the temple was entrusted with Maruyama, who later served as the first monk-in-charge of the temple.
On February 16, 1935, the inauguration ceremony of the temple was held in the presence of Nalini Ranjan Sarkar, then mayor of Kolkata. Also present were Fujii Guruji, Jugal Kishore Birla, members of the Japanese community and several other dignitaries.
Birthday celebrations
Presently, the temple celebrates its birthday on the nearest Sunday to February 16. So, it normally coincides with the second or third Sunday of February. This provides the opportunity of large participation, which goes beyond the religious connect (prayer ceremony by monks in picture). This year, the temple celebrated its 90th anniversary. A Rajgir-based Japanese Buddhist monk, Okonogi, presided over the ceremony. The ceremony began at 10am and lasted for about an hour-and-a-half.
It comprised a series of prayers and chanting ceremonies from different sects of Buddhism (monks take part in the celebrations in picture). The event was attended by representatives of different Buddhist sects from Kolkata and beyond. These included the Mahabodhi society, Fo Guang Shan Temple and many more. The ceremony included prayer session from the Teravada (previously known as Hinayana) monks and Tibetan Lamas.
It ended with a blessing ceremony of the participants. The participants (monks, devotees, participants and volunteers pose at the steps of Japanese Buddhist Temple on the occasion of its 90th birthday) included several dignitaries from the consulates of Thailand, Myanmar and US in Kolkata. The small hall of the temple was jampacked with devotees and some of them had to take their seats outside the hall. The chanting, along with the beats of the drums and cymbals, created a mesmerising atmosphere.
A true melting pot
The festivities transcended religious barriers and turned out to be a true melting pot of humanity. The session was attended by monks from Mahanirban Math and Ramakrishna Math and Mission. But the true melting pot was the participation of the local population. The temple has been an oasis of peace for the local population, who are not necessarily Buddhist.
Many of these local residents not only visit the temple on a regular basis but also play a significant role in its daily operations. The event also saw a group of volunteers (ready to serve the lunch in the picture) from the Kolkata Nepalese community. Even a few members of the Kolkata Chinese community were there to turn the event into a grand success. Finally, the event ended with a simple but delicious vegetarian lunch.
