Palitana in Gujarat is the world’s first vegetarian city

India is home to the world’s first vegetarian city and it is known as Palitana. It is a small town, situated in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, India. Counted amongst the holiest destinations for Jains, it is an ancient city. It is illegal to kill animals for eating. Dealing with non-vegetarian items is also not allowed in the town.

How Palitana has achieved the title?

In 2014, the government banned animal slaughter in the region and since then, not even a single animal has been killed. The ban was imposed when around 200 Jain monks protested through a hunger strike to demonstrate the authorities that they would prefer to die rather than allowing animals to be butchered and consumed.

The monks demanded all the 250 butcher shops of the region to be closed and the government did the same. Thus, the city became a meat-free zone. However, dairy products like milk, ghee, butter, etc. are still consumed by people.

The matter also highlights the importance of the town in Jainism. It is home to hundreds of temples and is the major pilgrimage site of Jains. It is believed that the savior, Lord Adinatha walked the hills and the place continues to be significant for the followers since then. It is important to note that Palitana also holds a record of being the only mountain with over 900 temples in the whole world. In all, Palitana is considered as the world’s largest temple complex and is highly revered by the Jain community.

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