When most people were celebrating the new year with a festive fervour, the Jain community was in solemn mode. They had taken to the streets to dissent the Jharkhand government’s decision to promote their pilgrimage site, Sammed Shikharji, as a tourist destination; and in protection of Shetrunjaya Hills in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, home to another holy site, Palitana.

Both sites are supremely important to the religion. Palitana is said to hold more than 900 Jain temples, while Shikharji is their Mecca—20 out of 24 thirthankars are said to have achieved salvation here. It has 31 tonks (peaks with temples), each containing shrines and footprints of the thirthankars. They date back centuries and some of them were rebuilt in 1768 CE. The community fears rampant illegal mining in the area would create a natural disaster like the one in Joshimath.