LUCKNOW, April 10 -- Uttar Pradesh has been a sacred land of Jain Tirthankaras, with Ayodhya alone being the birthplace of five and Kashi of one, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Wednesday.

He was addressing a gathering on Navkar Mahamantra Divas in Lucknow where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's live address from Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi was also screened on the occasion.

"Lord Rishabhdev-the first Tirthankara and king of Ayodhya-was born here, and the teachings of spirituality and meditation spread from this very soil," the chief minister said.

The event was organised by Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO). The Navkar Mahamantra is the most revered and universal chant in Jainism

The chief minister also referred to the ...