Bawangaja (meaning 52 yards) is a famous Jain pilgrim center in the Barwani district of southwestern

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Located about 6 kilometers south of River Narmada, its main attraction is the world's second largest megalithic statue (carved out of the mountain) of Lord ''

Rishabhadeva Rishabhanatha, also ( sa, ऋषभदेव), Rishabhadeva, or Ikshvaku is the first (Supreme preacher) of Jainism and establisher of Ikshvaku dynasty. He was the first of twenty-four teachers in the present half-cycle of time in Jain co ...

'' (largest being the '' Statue of Ahimsa''), the first

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

Tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (Sanskrit: '; English: literally a 'ford-maker') is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the ''dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a '' tirtha'', which is a fordable passag ...

. The statue is high. The center is located in the

Satpura Range The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India. The range rises in eastern Gujarat running east through the border of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and ends in Chhattisgarh. The range parallels the Vindhya Range to the north, and these ...

and is about 8 km from a

Barwani Barwani or Badwani ( hi, Baḍwāni) is a municipal town in Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh, India, that is situated near the left bank of the Narmada River. It is the administrative headquarters of Barwani district and has also served a ...

town.

Village

Bawangaja is a small town, situated in the middle of

Satpura range The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India. The range rises in eastern Gujarat running east through the border of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and ends in Chhattisgarh. The range parallels the Vindhya Range to the north, and these ...

, five miles from the town of

. As per the

2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...

, the Bawangaja village accommodates 94 families having a total population of 494 of which 242 are males while 252 are females.

Statue

The tall megalithic statue (carved out of a single rock) of Lord

(the first ''

'' and founder of

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current ...

) is situated at a height of , in the middle of the Satpura range. It was created early in the 12th century. The statue is supported from the back unlike the

Gommateshwara statue The Gommateshwara statue is a high monolithic statue on Vindhyagiri Hill in the town of Shravanbelagola in the Indian state of Karnataka. Carved of a single block of granite, it is one of the tallest monolithic statues in the world second on ...

of Lord

Bahubali Bahubali (), a much revered figure among Jains, was the son of Rishabadeva (the first ''tirthankara'' of Jainism) and the brother of Bharata Chakravartin. He is said to have meditated motionless for a year in a standing posture (''kayotsarg ...

Shravanabelagola Shravanabelagola () is a town located near Channarayapatna of Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is from Bengaluru. The Gommateshwara Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important tirthas (pilgrimage des ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. Along with the statue, the area has a complex of eleven temples. The idol stands on base of mountain just like the ''

'' of ''Lord

'' at ''

''. In 2020,

Mahamastakabhisheka The ''Mahamastakabhisheka'' ("Grand Consecration", "The Great Indian Festival") refers to the '' abhiṣeka'' (anointment) of the Jain images when held on a large scale. The most famous of such consecrations is the anointment of the Bahubali ...

of statue will be organised with an estimate of 1.5 million devotees reaching there. The repairs of the idol were carried out by

Bhattaraka A Bhaṭṭāraka ( pka, भट्टारक "holy one") heads traditional Digambara Jain institutions. He is responsible for training scholars, maintenance of libraries, managing endowments, presiding over installation ceremonies and running ...

as per inscription dated back to 1503 CE. The idol was again repaired in 1989/90, followed by a consecrating ceremony organised in January 1991.

Iconography

The idol of Lord Rishabhadeva is made in brown stone in ''

Kayotsarga Kayotsarga ( , pka, काउस्सग्ग ) is a yogic posture which is an important part of the Jain meditation. It literally means "dismissing the body". A tirthankara is represented either seated in yoga posture or standing in the kayo ...

'' posture. The hands of idol are not joined with legs but are made separate. The structural art & style of this idol is unique and it is in perfect proportion. The various parts of idol are quite symmetrical. There is balanced image of all emotions like joy, mercy & separation on the face of this idol. On the left side huge idol of Bawangaja Lord Rishabhadeva the 4 armed

Gomukha In Jain cosmology, Gomukha is the guardian god or Yaksha (attendant deity) of Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara. Legacy Worship Gomukha along with Dharanendra is the most popular yaksha in Jainism. Iconography According to Jain tradi ...

& on the right side the very artistic idol of 16 armed

Chakreshvari In Jain cosmology, Chakeshvari or ''Apraticakra'' is the guardian goddess or Yakshini (attendant deity) of Rishabhanatha. She is the tutelary deity of the Sarawagi Jain community. Iconography The color of the goddess is golden. Her Vehicle i ...

is established.

Transport

The nearest airport is

indore Indore () is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is t ...

Chulgiri

Chulgiri Jain temple, a '' Siddha-Kṣetra'', is also situated on the hilltop, contains two inscription dated 1166 and 1459 AD. The Indrajit,

Kumbhakarna Kumbhakarna (Sanskrit: कुम्भकर्ण, lit. ''pot-eared'') is a powerful rakshasa and younger brother of Ravana from the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Despite his gigantic size and appetite, he is described as a virtuous character an ...

& various other scholars attained emancipation through the self-meditation. The 3 ancient foot images of Indrajit, Kumbhakarna & the other are present in this temple. Except foot images, the two idols of Lord

Māllīnātha Mallinatha (Prakrit ''Mallinātha'', "Lord of jasmine or seat") was the 19th tīrthaṅkara "ford-maker" of the present ''avasarpiṇī'' age in Jainism. Jain texts indicate Mālliṇātha was born at Mithila into the Ikshvaku dynasty to ...

Chandraprabha Chandraprabha () is the eighth Tirthankara of ''Avasarpini'' (present half cycle of time as per Jain cosmology). Chandraprabhu was born to King Mahasena and Queen Lakshmana Devi at Chandrapuri to the Ikshvaku dynasty. According to Jain texts ...

are installed in the main altar. Moreover, the several idols are installed on both sides in the main assembly hall (''Mahamandap''). Bawangaja Yatra, an annual fair, is organised every year on full Moon day of

Hindu calendar The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a s ...

month

Pausha Pausha ( sa, पौष ; hi, पूस ; ta, தை ), also called Paush, Poush, Pausa or Pushya, is the tenth month of the Hindu calendar, corresponding with December/January of the Gregorian calendar. In the Indian national calendar, Pausha ...

. In 2016, Bawanga Trust had carried out several development works including restoration of temple complex and building of a 3-story dharmshala with 108 rooms having all modern amenities.

References

Citations

Sources

Book

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Web

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External links

bawangaja.com
{{Jainism topics Barwani district Jain temples in Madhya Pradesh Jain rock-cut architecture Colossal Jain statues in India 12th-century Jain temples