The World's First Vegetarian City

[Second Summer]

After monks went on a hunger strike to push for a citywide ban on animal slaughter, the local government declared Palitana a meat-free zone. But the city's Muslims are not happy.

PALITANA — Jainism is one of the oldest religions in the world and preaches a path of non-violence towards all living beings. In India, about 5 million people practice it.

"Everyone in this world — whether animal or human being or a very small creature — has all been given the right to live by God," says Virat Sagar Maharaj, a Jain monk. "So who are we to take away that right from them? This has been written in the holy books of every religion, particularly in Jainism."

Read the full article: In India, The World's First Vegetarian City

About Palitana: Palitana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[ledboots]

Wow, how lovely it would be to live in a vegetarian city! And look how pretty it is to look at. [emoji4]

 

[PTree15]

That is pretty cool. It would be so nice to shop without having to pass the shelves and rows of dead flesh.

 

[RascalsMom]

I read online that there's a lot of negative backlash from residents who are trying to get this revoked.

 

[Second Summer]

Yes, I'd be surprised if the ban on meat/flesh is upheld in the higher courts.

Part of the problem is perhaps that the ban seems to have a religious motivation. By implementing the ban, the authorities might be seen as taking sides with a particular religious community (the Jains), and that probably isn't going to go over well.