24 Facts About Shantidas Jhaveri

Shantidas Jhaveri was an Indian Jain jeweller, bullion trader and moneylender during the Mughal era.

Shantidas Jhaveri was the wealthiest merchant in the Ahmedabad city during the 17th century.

Shantidas Jhaveri's was of Oswal Jain Vania origin from the Marwar region.

Shantidas Jhaveri retailed jewellery to the rich, including the Mughal royalty and nobility.

Shantidas Jhaveri traded with the European companies, as well as Persian and Arab traders, in commodities such as cloves.

Shantidas Jhaveri used his influence and political connections to recover his loss from the English.

Shantidas Jhaveri however became most influential as a moneylender: most of the capital lent to the Dutch East India Company in India came from Shantidas and his close associate Virji Vora.

Shantidas Jhaveri was entrusted with the responsibility of procuring jewels for the celebration of the anniversary of the royal accession of the emperor.

In 1644, Shantidas Jhaveri bought the royal haveli of Haji Ikhlas for approximately Rupees 6,000.

Shantidas Jhaveri was directed to work for the welfare of its inhabitants, and consider the matter "very urgent".

In 1645, the Mughal prince Aurangzeb desecrated the Chintamani Parshvanath temple constructed by Shantidas Jhaveri, after being appointed the Governor of Gujarat.

In 1657, Shah Jahan's son Murad Baksh had compelled Shantidas Jhaveri to lend him Rupees 550,000.

Shantidas Jhaveri managed to secure from the new emperor, a firman ordering the imperial dewan Rahmat Khan to pay him Rupees 100,000 from the royal treasury as part of the loan recovery.

Shantidas Jhaveri was a devout Jain who gave generously to the Gujarati Jain community.

Shantidas Jhaveri spent a substantial amount of money on conducting the sanghas and protecting Jain temples.

Shantidas Jhaveri helped the monks in setting up pathshalas.

In 1622, Shantidas Jhaveri started the construction of the Chintamani Parshvanath temple at Saraspur, Ahmedabad.

At that time, there were several Jain factions within the Svetambara Jain sect, and Shantidas Jhaveri belonged to the Sagar gaccha.

Shantidas Jhaveri wanted to see Muktisagar become an acharya, but the request was declined by Vijayadeva Suri, a senior acharya belonging to the Tapa gaccha.

Shantidas Jhaveri sought the help of Shrimalla, a merchant from Cambay, who had played an important role in Vijayadeva's promotion to the acharya post in 1601.

Later, Shantidas Jhaveri planned a shastrartha between Vijayadeva Suri and Muktisagar in Jalore.

Shantidas Jhaveri's intention was to raise the prestige of his faction, but Muktisagar lost courage and backed out of the debate before it began.

Shantidas Jhaveri led a boycott against the Lonka gaccha, which criticised idol worship.

Khushalchand, the grandson of Shantidas Jhaveri, was a prominent merchant, and paid ransom to the Marathas to save Ahmedabad from plunder.