Pran Pratishtha Mahotsav of Temple Tirth, built in memory of Smt Shilaben Modi, held

The Sanatana Dharma Temple Tirth Complex has been built by Cadila Pharmaceuticals at Dholka.

Ahmedabad, 14^th April 2023: The Pran Pratishtha Mahotsav of Temple Tirth, the Sanatana Dharma Temple Tirth Complex built by Cadila Pharmaceuticals in the memory of Late Smt. Shilaben I Modi was held between 11^th to 13^th February,2023.

The Temple Tirth is an experiential sojourn to revere, rejoice and revitalise through the life of late Smt. Shilaben .I. Modi. She was a true backbone and a perennial source of inspiration to her husband Late Shri Indravadan Modi, the founder of Cadila Pharmaceuticals. She was the company’s first employee and used to wash and table the products.

The memorial is a tribute to her life, the origin of which is a Sanatana Dharma Temple along the same axis as the cremation point of the Late Shri Indravadan Modi.

“Smt Shilaben Modi was a very pious person and religious by nature. During the last years of her life, she was often limited in her activities due to her disease, but would still remember to offer prayers and visit temples for as long as she could. The Tirth Temple has been built as a fitting tribute to her,” said Dr Rajiv Modi, Chairman and Managing Director , Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

The Pran Pratishtha Mahotsav took place in accordance with the traditional rituals including prayers amid the chanting of mantras and shlokas, bathing the idols of the deities, and more.

Acknowledging Smt Shilaben I Modi’s piety, the memorial recreates the pious constellation of the Sanatana Dharma. The Tirth Temple is a life-size, handcrafted stone temple, built in traditional Nagara style, through traditional wisdom and rich craftsmanship, enshrined with Shaiv, Shakt and Vaishnav sect deities for active worship, and marking the epicentre of the sacred landscape.

The centrality of the shrine is spatially punctuated by the mythological sculptures of the eight Digpals – the guardian deities of the eight cardinal directions. It is further surrounded by seven water Kunds representing the seven holiest rivers of India – Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Godavari, Narmada, Indus, and Kaveri.

The epitome of the sacred constellation is the circumambulatory flanked by, to the scale, built in stone, replicas of the 84 holy shrines of India, reminiscing the 84 years of the pious sojourn of Smt Shilaben Modi. Thus it translates as the most comprehensive and pan-Indian pilgrimage of shrines, rivers and deities in a single place.

The Tirth Temple is conceived to be a microcosm of the religious cosmos and a tribute to India’s glorious architectural heritage and cultural traditions. A venue to nurture mind, body and soul.

The temple is an integral part of Shantivan, the experiential sojourn to revere and rejoice through the life of the late Shri Indravadan Modi. The memorial emanates from the centre (Bindu) where he was cremated. The point is intersected by cardinal axes as pathways with imprinted milestones tracing 87 inspiring years of his life.

A still water kund, engulfed within 52 soaring water jets represents a quiet-natured yet dynamically active personality. The square Mandala of the water body and triangle fractals of Shriyantra define the sacred geometry, the spiritual world Shri Modi had charted for him. Encircling water Chadar and 87 obelisks create the circumambulatory path to transpose from corporeal to spiritual.

The 87 obelisks engrave as well as artistically illustrate 87 divine Shlokas of Shri Bhagwad Gita which he had faithfully immersed himself into. The profound doctrine of the Gita helps one understand the very meaning, purpose, duties and do’s or don’ts of wholesome life and one’s existence.

The outer ring is transcendence in time to primordial, with an abundance of nature, by way of 87 herbal and spiritual plant species interspersed with water bodies and inspiring stone sculptures, recounting illustrious events from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Sculptures on Dashavatar represent a cyclic yet evolving aspect of time. The Trimurti exemplifies the dynamic balance of Creation, Destruction and Resurrection. The Ardh-nareshwar reminds one of the complementary bipolarity of life and existence. Nourishing mind, body as well as soul, Shantivan is a milieu for introspection, interpretation and inspiration, and an experience to traverse in the immensity of time and space.

The total area of the whole site, which includes Indrashil Shantivan, Tirth, Museum, Forest, Dense Plantation and Guesthouse is 15 hectare. The site area of Indrashil Shantivan is 1.91 hectare and its inner circle is 0.41 hectare. The area of the herb garden surrounding the inner circle is 0.74 hectare. The area of Shantivan Museum is 1.36 hectare and that of Indrashil Tirth is 4.42 hectare. The inner square of Indrashil Tirth is 1.40 hectare, and one side of the square measures 118.5 metre. The area of the forest is 5 hectare and the area under dense plantation is 1.40 hectare.