Jirawala Tirth is a
Jain temple in Jirawala village of
Sirohi District
Sirohi District is a district of Rajasthan state in western India. The city of Sirohi is the district headquarters.
As of 2011 it is the third least populous district of Rajasthan (out of 33), after Jaisalmer and Pratapgarh.
History
In 1948 ...
in
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
,
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 ...
. It lies 58 km from
Abu Road. The temple is considered an important Jain pilgrimage center.
History
According to Jain belief, the temple dates back to 2,800 years back. Jirawala has been an important Jain centre between 506 CE to 1324 CE and received patronage by multiple Jain acharyas. The iconic idol of Parshvanath, the principal deity of the temple, was found during an excavation. The cow belonging to Brahmin boy ''Kadwa'' used to pour out its milk every day near a cave in Jirawala. Upon hearing about this by Brahmin boy, Jain Seth Dhanna Shah dreamt of a Parshvanath idol where cow went to pour milk. After the search, the idol was found from the same spot and the idol was installed by Acharya Deva Gupta Suri in 894 CE. An idol of Neminatha was temporarily replaced as mulnayak of the temple.
During
2001 Gujarat earthquake
The 2001 Gujarat earthquake, also known as the Bhuj earthquake, occurred on 26 January, India's 52nd Republic Day, at . The epicentre was about 9 km south-southwest of the village of Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District of Gujarat ...
, the temple structure was damaged and was later restored in 2017 with a cost of .
Architecture
The temple has an ornate architecture. The temple has a large domical structure as the principal shrine with domical 52 sub-shrine along the axis of principal shrine. There a total of 108 idols of Parshvanatha in these shrines each bearing a different name with central shrine housing idol of Jirawala Parshvanatha, the principal deity of the temple. There are total of 60
dhwaja stambha
The dhvajastambha (ध्वजस्तम्भ) refers to the flagstaff erected in front of the ''mukhamaṇḍapa'' (front pavilion) of a Hindu temple. The ''dhvajastambha'' is usually built within the temple walls (''prākāra''). They are t ...
in the temple complex.
About temple
The current structure of the temple dates back to 1134 AD. The temple is considered an important Jain pilgrimage center.
The principal deity of the temple is a white coloured idol of Parshvanatha popularly known as ''Jirawala Parshvanath''. The idol is believed to made using mixture milk and sand. In Shvetambara tradition, idols tend to derive their name from a geographical region, the Jirawala Parshvanath is one of 108 prominent idols of Parshvanath idols. The replicas of Jirawala Parshvanatha is popular among
Śvētāmbara
The Śvētāmbara (; ''śvētapaṭa''; also spelled ''Shwethambara'', ''Svetambar'', ''Shvetambara'' or ''Swetambar'') is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the ''Digambara''. Śvētāmbara means "white-clad", and refers ...
murtipujaka
Mūrtipūjaka (lit. "image-worshipper"), also known as Derāvāsī ("temple-dweller") or Mandir Mārgī ("follower of the temple path"), is the largest sect of Śvētāmbara, Śvetāmbara Jainism. Mūrtipūjaka Jains differ from both Śvetāmb ...
. According to Jain belief, worshipping these local replication idols allow them to directly worship to the original idol. There is a temple with an image of
Neminatha
Neminatha, also known as Nemi and Arishtanemi, is the twenty-second ''tirthankara'' (ford-maker) in Jainism. Along with Mahavira, Parshvanatha and Rishabhanatha, Neminatha is one of the twenty four ''tirthankaras'' who attract the most devo ...
, too. These temples were attacked and desecrated during Muslim rule but were later renovated by the Jain community. The village was a place of pilgrimage for Jains. Many Jain saints and scholars visited the place and composed the religious books there during the fifteenth century.
he temple also has a ''
dharamshala'' equipped with all modern facilities, including
bhojanalaya
Marwari Bhojnalaya is a popular name among Marwari people, Marwari-style purely vegetarian restaurants in many cities in India. They are all independently owned. The term "marwari" implies that it is intended for Marwari merchants, who are strictl ...
(a restaurant).
See also
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Dilwara temples
The Dilwara Temples or Delvada Temples are a group of Śvētāmbara Jain temples located about kilometres from the Mount Abu settlement in Sirohi District, Rajasthan's only hill station. The earliest were built by Bhima-1 and supposedly de ...
References
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Sources
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External links
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Jain temples in Rajasthan
Tourist attractions in Sirohi district
12th-century Jain temples
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