Fish, meat, and eggs are not available in this small temple city. From eating to selling — everything is prohibited here. This is the world's first city where consuming non-vegetarian food is completely illegal. Anyone found eating non-vegetarian food could face severe punishment. Do you know where such a city exists?
Palitana, a small city in Gujarat, where meat, fish, and eggs are completely prohibited. Shops selling non-vegetarian food have been shut down. Animal slaughter is also completely banned in this city.
Specialities of this temple city
Marble temples can be seen standing tall all around. The tradition of this city is embedded in every layer of each temple. Located in the Bhavnagar district, animal slaughter is considered a punishable crime in Palitana city.
Known as a pilgrimage site for Jains, this city is located at the foothills of Shatrunjaya Hill. This Gujarat city has more than 800 temples. Most people here are followers of Jainism. For pilgrims, this place is an important centre for attaining salvation. Thousands of pilgrims visiting this city climb more than 3,000 steps to reach the top of Shatrunjaya Hill.
Since when has non-vegetarian food been banned?
There was a massive movement regarding meat sales in 2014. It involved 200 Jain monks. Following this protest, the Gujarat government decided to ban non-vegetarian food in this city. Around 250 slaughterhouses were also shut down simultaneously.
Actually, the main vow of Jainism is not to kill animals. Even killing small insects is considered a crime in Jainism. This is why objections were raised against the slaughterhouses within the city.
Pilgrims fast and climb barefoot to the top of Shatrunjaya Hill to visit the temples. The most famous temple here is Adinath. Therefore, Jain followers had called for closing all meat shops along the temple route. But if non-vegetarian food is completely banned in a city, how will tourism flourish there?
Importance of tourism
Despite banning non-vegetarian food, Palitana holds special importance from a tourism perspective. This city is quite popular for its spiritual, architectural, and peaceful environment. Sales at vegetarian restaurants have also increased considerably. Various thali arrangements made with green vegetables have been organised for tourists. There are many restaurants where food is cooked without onions and garlic.
Where else in Gujarat is non-vegetarian food banned?
While consuming non-vegetarian food is not completely banned in Rajkot, Gujarat, there are restrictions on hanging cut meat or cooking meat in public. Similar laws exist in Ahmedabad, Junagadh, and Vadodara. Actually, Gujarat is Gandhi's birthplace. He always stayed away from meat. Gandhi's parents were also initiated into Vaishnavism. So to show respect to his parents, he also ate vegetarian food. Since most people in Gujarat are initiated into Vaishnavism, the practice of eating vegetarian food exists throughout almost all of Gujarat.
