The idea of establishing Mahavir Foundation was conceived around 1984 – 1985. As momentum gathered, in 1987 Mahavir Foundation was formally registered as a UK charitable institution.
In 1988, Mahavir Foundation was based at Montrose Crescent in Wembley where devotees gathered every Sunday for devotional prayers. A benevolent donor assisted Mahavir Foundation to purchase a property at 557 Kenton Road (London) where it has been established since 1995. The lease amount is a mere £10 per annum.
In 2012, the committee decided to build a grand and vibrant derasar. The murtis consecrated at the derasar are Māhāveer Swāmi, Ādināth Bhagwān, Simmandhar Swāmi, Pārsvanāth Bhagwān, Munisuvrat Swāmi and Shāntināth Bhagwān (in kāyotsarga mudra, consecrated in 2018). The murtis (idols) of Māhāveer Swāmi, Ādināth Bhagwān and Pārsvanāth Bhagwān are from Kadambgiri Tirth where they were kept in a bhandār. Based on the features and inscriptions on the murtis, historians and scholars attribute Māhāveer swāmi murti to be more than 300 years old and that of Pārsvanāth Bhagwān to be more than 1000 years old. Consecration of the murtis was performed by Pujya Āchāryāshree Jayghosh Suri Māhārāj.
There are patt of Pālitānā, Girnār, Ābu, Samet Shikhar and Ashtāpada tirths. Murtis of Saraswati Mātā and Padmāvati Mātā are also consecrated in the derasar. There are also murtis of Shrimadrājchandra and his devotees. Adjacent to the derasar there is a shrine dedicated to Nakoda Bhairav, Ghantākaran Mahaveer and Manibhadra Veer.
References:
1. Internet
2. Mahavir Foundation website
3. In conversation with Dr. Vinodbhai Kapashi
4. Acharya Jayghosh Suri Maharaj
5. Acharya Jayghosh Suri brief biography
