https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=ManoharkirtisagarsuriManoharkirtisagarsuri - Revision history2026-08-18T19:21:38ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Manoharkirtisagarsuri&diff=516222&oldid=prevJoquim at 09:49, 6 January 20262026-01-06T09:49:15Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Śvetāmbara Jain Acharya (born 1928)}}<br />
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{{Use Indian English|date=January 2026}}<br />
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[[File:Tapagacchadipati.png|thumb|Acharya Manohar Kirti Sagar Suri]]<br />
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{{Infobox religious biography<br />
| honorific_prefix = Tapa Gacchādhipati Acharya<br />
| religion = Jainism<br />
| sect = [[Śvetāmbara]]<br />
| subsect = [[Tapa Gaccha]]<br />
| birth_date = 1928<br />
| birth_place = Bardoli, Gujarat, British India<br />
| title = Jain Acharya<br />
| known_for = Monastic leadership, religious teaching, lineage leadership<br />
}}<br />
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{{Jainism}}<br />
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'''Tapa Gacchādhipati Acharya Manohar Kirti Sagar Suri''' (Gujarati: ''આચાર્યશ્રી મનહરકીર્તિસાગરસૂરીશ્વરજી''; born 1928) is a Śvetāmbara Jain monk of the [[Tapa Gaccha]] and an ''ācārya'' (monastic leader).<ref name="SBP2_139_140">{{cite book |title=Shasana Prabhavaka Shraman Bhagwanto – Part 2 |language=gu |pages=139–140 |url=https://jainqq.org/pagetext/Shasana_Prabhavaka_Shraman_Bhagwanto_Part_2/004597/140 |access-date=5 January 2026}}</ref> He is listed among senior ascetics of the Buddhi Sagar lineage (samudāy) in an institutional directory published in ''Jain Digest'' (2011).<ref name="JainDigest2011p47">{{cite book |title=Jain Digest |date=May 2011 |page=47 |publisher=Federation of Jain Associations in North America (JAINA) |url=https://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Digest_2011_04/527119 |access-date=5 January 2026}}</ref> Indian news reporting has referred to him with the honorific ''Tapāgacchādhipati'' in connection with public religious events in Gujarat.<ref name="TOI2020SilverBricks">{{cite news |title=Ahmedabad: Silver bricks to adorn Ram Temple |work=The Times of India |date=4 August 2020 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/silver-bricks-to-adorn-ram-temple/articleshow/77338593.cms |access-date=5 January 2026}}</ref> As of 2026, community sources describe him as being 98 years of age, based on the Vikram Samvat birth date recorded in Jain biographical literature.<ref name="SBP2_139_140" /><br />
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== Historical background ==<br />
Within Śvetāmbara Jainism, the Mūrtipūjaka tradition represents the principal temple-based stream and is organised through lineage-based monastic orders (''gacchas'').<ref name="JainpediaMurtiPujaka">{{cite web |title=Śvetāmbara Mūrti-pūjaka |website=Jainpedia |url=https://jainpedia.org/themes/principles/sects/svetambara-murti-pujaka/ |access-date=5 January 2026}}</ref> A ''gaccha'' denotes a renunciant lineage grouping monks and their associated lay communities.<ref name="BritannicaGaccha">{{cite web |title=Gaccha |website=Encyclopaedia Britannica |date=3 December 2025 |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/gaccha |access-date=5 January 2026}}</ref> The Tapā Gaccha has been described in academic literature as a historically influential Śvetāmbara monastic order, characterised by multiple parallel lineages rather than centralised authority.<ref name="DundasRoutledgeTapaLeading">{{cite web |title=History, Scripture and Controversy in a Medieval Jain Sect |author=Paul Dundas |website=Routledge |url=https://www.routledge.com/History-Scripture-and-Controversy-in-a-Medieval-Jain-Sect/Dundas/p/book/9780415502153 |access-date=5 January 2026}}</ref><br />
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== Early life ==<br />
According to a Gujarati biographical account, Manohar Kirti Sagar Suri was born in Bardoli. His father was named Naginadas and his mother Kamalaben. His birth is recorded as Bhādrapada Śukla 1 of Vikram Samvat 1984, corresponding to 1928 CE. He received his primary education in Bardoli.<ref name="SBP2_139_140" /><br />
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== Monastic initiation ==<br />
The same source states that he accepted Jain monastic initiation (''dīkṣā'') at the age of 21 on Kārtika Vad 1 of Vikram Samvat 2005 in Mumbai.<ref name="SBP2_139_140" /> The initiating guru is not specified in the cited biographical account.<ref name="SBP2_139_140" /><br />
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== Education and training ==<br />
Following initiation, the biographical sketch describes sustained engagement in ''svādhyāya'' (scriptural study). He undertook advanced study of Sanskrit and Prakrit and developed an interest in writing and teaching. The source notes his efforts to present philosophical material in simplified language and records his emergence as a preacher known for a clear and accessible style of discourse.<ref name="SBP2_139_140" /><br />
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== Ascension to Acharyaship ==<br />
According to the Gujarati biographical account, he was conferred the rank of ''gaṇi–paṇyās'' on Māgha Vad 5 of Vikram Samvat 2026 at Old Deesa. He was later elevated to the rank of ''ācārya'' on Māgha Śukla 5 of Vikram Samvat 2031 at Ahmedabad–Sabarmati, following recognition of his suitability within his monastic lineage.<ref name="SBP2_139_140" /> His status as an ''ācārya'' within the Buddhi Sagar lineage is corroborated by the 2011 ''Jain Digest'' directory.<ref name="JainDigest2011p47" /><br />
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== Monastic career ==<br />
The biographical sketch records that, after long-standing requests from the Bardoli Jain community, he observed ''chāturmāsa'' in his birthplace for the first time 36 years after initiation. The account notes wide participation by local residents in associated religious observances.<ref name="SBP2_139_140" /> In wider public reporting, he has been mentioned in connection with community events in Ahmedabad; a 2020 ''Times of India'' report described him as ''Tapāgacchādhipati'' at a public religious ceremony attended by multiple Jain acharyas.<ref name="TOI2020SilverBricks" /> A Government of Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office release concerning an Anjan Śalākā–Pratiṣṭhā Mahotsav at Rancharda (Gandhinagar district) in December 2024 listed him among the Jain acharyas present, also using the title ''Tapāgacchādhipati''.<ref name="CMOGujarat2024Rancharda">{{cite web |title=CM Bhupendra Patel at Anjan Shalaka-Pratishtha in Rancharda |website=Chief Minister’s Office, Government of Gujarat |date=6 December 2024 |url=https://cmogujarat.gov.in/en/latest-news/cm-anjan-shalaka-pratishtha-rancharda |access-date=5 January 2026}}</ref><br />
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== Works and intellectual contributions ==<br />
The cited biographical pages attribute to him continuous engagement in reading, writing, and teaching throughout his monastic life. While specific published works are not enumerated in the source, it records sustained activity in religious instruction and exposition.<ref name="SBP2_139_140" /><br />
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== Disciples and lineage ==<br />
The Gujarati biographical account lists members of his disciple and grand-disciple circle, including Paṇyās Sudarshan Kirti Sagar Ji, monks Anant Kirti Sagar Ji, Shanti Sagar Ji, and Uday Kirti Sagar Ji, as well as additional monks named Vidyit Sagar Ji, Vidyoday Kirti Sagar Ji, as transcribed in the source text.<ref name="SBP2_139_140" /> The ''Jain Digest'' (2011) listing situates him within the Buddhi Sagar samudāy alongside other contemporary acharyas, indicating a recognised lineage context rather than solitary leadership.<ref name="JainDigest2011p47" /><br />
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== See also ==<br />
* [[Śvetāmbara]]<br />
* [[Tapa Gaccha]]<br />
* [[Jain Acharya]]<br />
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== References ==<br />
<references /><br />
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[[Category:20th-century Jain monks]]<br />
[[Category:Living people]]<br />
[[Category:1928 births]]</div>Joquim