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Palitana temples
The Palitana temples, often known only as Palitana, are a large complex of Jain temples located on Shatrunjaya hills near Palitana in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India. Also known as "Padliptapur of Kathiawad" in historic texts, the dense collection of almost 900 small shrines and large temples have led many to call Palitana the "city of temples". It is one of the most sacred sites of the Śvetāmbara tradition within Jainism. The earliest temples in the complex date as far back as the 11th century CE.
The Palitana temple complex is near the top of the hill, in groups called Tonks (Tuks) along the hills' various ridges. The main temple is dedicated to Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara; it is the holiest shrine for the Śvetāmbara Murtipujaka sect. Marble is the preferred material of construction. More than 400,000 pilgrims visited the site in 2010.
Jains believe that 23 of the 24 Tirthankaras, all except Neminatha, sanctified Palitana with visits. This makes the site particularly important to the Jain tradition. These temples are reached by most pilgrims and visitors by climbing around 3500 stone steps along a hilly trail. Some hire pallanquins at the base of the hills, to be carried to the temple complex. Palitana, along with the Shikharji in Jharkhand, is believed to be the holiest of all pilgrimage places by the Jain community.
Digambara Jains have only one dedicated temple in Palitana. Hingraj Ambikadevi (known as Hinglaj Mata) is considered as the presiding deity of the hill, who is a Jain Yakshini (attendant deity). As the temple complex was built to be an abode for the divine, no one is allowed to stay overnight, including the priests.
Palitana is a small town about 55 kilometers southwest of Bhavnagar city and 25 kilometers south of Songadh village in Bhavnagar district in southeastern Gujarat. It is midst an arid-marshy terrain near the Gulf of Cambay and the Shetrunji river. About 2 kilometers to the south of Palitana town are twin hilltops with a saddle-like valley with a peak height of about 600 meters. These are the Palitana hills, historically called the Shatrunjaya Hills. The word Shatrunjaya is interpreted as a "place of victory". According to Paul Dundas, a scholar of Jainism, Shatrunjaya hill literally means "the hill which conquers enemies". On these hilltops is a fortified wall complex with space for canons built by the Shantidas Jhaveri, the nagarsheth of Ahmedabad 17th century to resist any raids and destruction after Murad Baksh,the son of Mughal Emperor Shaha Jahan granted the hill to him through a firman. Within this fortified walls, on the ridges of these hills is the largest collection of Śvetāmbara Jain temples, called the Palitana temples.
The steps for the trek to Palitana temples starts in the southern part of the Palitana town, where there a number of monasteries, rest houses, shops and small temples. The steps to the Palitana temples begin to the west of a major active Jain temple and to the east of the newly built Samovsaran Mandir and museum by the Tapa Gaccha subtradition of Jains. The stone-concrete stairs gently wind along the hill, climbing up into the fort and to the summit with temples. Along this climb, are small temples, rest stops with drinking water for the pilgrims and visitors to sit and rest before resuming their trek. Near the fort, the steps fork into two. The eastern side typically is the entrance for a traditional clockwise circumambulation of the temples, while the other the exit. The trek involves climbing over 3500 stone steps.
In the traditional texts and beliefs, this sacred hill became important to Jainism millions of years ago, since the age of Adinatha (locally called Adishvera). Adinatha himself lived for 8.4 million purvas ( 1 purva = 70560 billion years), and patronized this Satrunjaya hills site many times in his long life. He is believed to have visited Satrunjaya nearly 700 million times, more than any other Jain site. Thereafter, Satrunjaya has been cherished and patronized by other Tirthankaras of Jainism, including Rushabh dev and his son Bharat Chakravarti. These hills and Palitana host Adinatha's principal temple.
According to the Shatrunjaya Mahatmya by Dhanesvara, a Jaina text in Sanskrit traceable to about the 14th century CE, Mahavira recited the legends of Rushabha to a solemn assembly on Shatrunjaya when deity Indra requested him to do so. After nearly 300 verses, the text begins the description of Bharatam Varsham, followed by the glory of Shatrunjaya. The text declares it so holy, that even thinking about it "expiates many sins". It then gives 108 alternate names for this site in verses 331 to 335, such as Pundarika giri, Siddikshetram, Mahabala, Surasaila, Vimaladri, Punyarasi, Subhadra, Muktigeham, Mahatirtham, Patalamula, Kailasa, and others. Of these names, the 11th-century Jaina scholar Hemachandra mentions two: Satrunjaya and Vimaladri.
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Palitana temples
The Palitana temples, often known only as Palitana, are a large complex of Jain temples located on Shatrunjaya hills near Palitana in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India. Also known as "Padliptapur of Kathiawad" in historic texts, the dense collection of almost 900 small shrines and large temples have led many to call Palitana the "city of temples". It is one of the most sacred sites of the Śvetāmbara tradition within Jainism. The earliest temples in the complex date as far back as the 11th century CE.
The Palitana temple complex is near the top of the hill, in groups called Tonks (Tuks) along the hills' various ridges. The main temple is dedicated to Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara; it is the holiest shrine for the Śvetāmbara Murtipujaka sect. Marble is the preferred material of construction. More than 400,000 pilgrims visited the site in 2010.
Jains believe that 23 of the 24 Tirthankaras, all except Neminatha, sanctified Palitana with visits. This makes the site particularly important to the Jain tradition. These temples are reached by most pilgrims and visitors by climbing around 3500 stone steps along a hilly trail. Some hire pallanquins at the base of the hills, to be carried to the temple complex. Palitana, along with the Shikharji in Jharkhand, is believed to be the holiest of all pilgrimage places by the Jain community.
Digambara Jains have only one dedicated temple in Palitana. Hingraj Ambikadevi (known as Hinglaj Mata) is considered as the presiding deity of the hill, who is a Jain Yakshini (attendant deity). As the temple complex was built to be an abode for the divine, no one is allowed to stay overnight, including the priests.
Palitana is a small town about 55 kilometers southwest of Bhavnagar city and 25 kilometers south of Songadh village in Bhavnagar district in southeastern Gujarat. It is midst an arid-marshy terrain near the Gulf of Cambay and the Shetrunji river. About 2 kilometers to the south of Palitana town are twin hilltops with a saddle-like valley with a peak height of about 600 meters. These are the Palitana hills, historically called the Shatrunjaya Hills. The word Shatrunjaya is interpreted as a "place of victory". According to Paul Dundas, a scholar of Jainism, Shatrunjaya hill literally means "the hill which conquers enemies". On these hilltops is a fortified wall complex with space for canons built by the Shantidas Jhaveri, the nagarsheth of Ahmedabad 17th century to resist any raids and destruction after Murad Baksh,the son of Mughal Emperor Shaha Jahan granted the hill to him through a firman. Within this fortified walls, on the ridges of these hills is the largest collection of Śvetāmbara Jain temples, called the Palitana temples.
The steps for the trek to Palitana temples starts in the southern part of the Palitana town, where there a number of monasteries, rest houses, shops and small temples. The steps to the Palitana temples begin to the west of a major active Jain temple and to the east of the newly built Samovsaran Mandir and museum by the Tapa Gaccha subtradition of Jains. The stone-concrete stairs gently wind along the hill, climbing up into the fort and to the summit with temples. Along this climb, are small temples, rest stops with drinking water for the pilgrims and visitors to sit and rest before resuming their trek. Near the fort, the steps fork into two. The eastern side typically is the entrance for a traditional clockwise circumambulation of the temples, while the other the exit. The trek involves climbing over 3500 stone steps.
In the traditional texts and beliefs, this sacred hill became important to Jainism millions of years ago, since the age of Adinatha (locally called Adishvera). Adinatha himself lived for 8.4 million purvas ( 1 purva = 70560 billion years), and patronized this Satrunjaya hills site many times in his long life. He is believed to have visited Satrunjaya nearly 700 million times, more than any other Jain site. Thereafter, Satrunjaya has been cherished and patronized by other Tirthankaras of Jainism, including Rushabh dev and his son Bharat Chakravarti. These hills and Palitana host Adinatha's principal temple.
According to the Shatrunjaya Mahatmya by Dhanesvara, a Jaina text in Sanskrit traceable to about the 14th century CE, Mahavira recited the legends of Rushabha to a solemn assembly on Shatrunjaya when deity Indra requested him to do so. After nearly 300 verses, the text begins the description of Bharatam Varsham, followed by the glory of Shatrunjaya. The text declares it so holy, that even thinking about it "expiates many sins". It then gives 108 alternate names for this site in verses 331 to 335, such as Pundarika giri, Siddikshetram, Mahabala, Surasaila, Vimaladri, Punyarasi, Subhadra, Muktigeham, Mahatirtham, Patalamula, Kailasa, and others. Of these names, the 11th-century Jaina scholar Hemachandra mentions two: Satrunjaya and Vimaladri.