Nainagiri is a major
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
site for
Jainism
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 bein ...
in India. It is located in the central Indian state of
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 ...
, it is 12 km from Dalpatpur and 25 km from Bukswaha. This tirth, also known as Reshandigiri, is a Siddha Kshetra where five ancient saints including Varadatta had attained
nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
.
Significance
According to ancient
Nirvanakanda text:
पासस्स समवसरणे सहिया वरदत्त मुणिवरा पंच ,
रिस्सिन्देगिरि सिहरे णिव्वाण गया णमो तेसिं , ,
Translation: Here at Resandigiri, the
samosharana of Lord Parshvanath had come and Varadatta etc. five munis had attained nirvana. We bow to them.
Similar mentions are made in Hindi Nirvanakanda (1684 AD) of Bhaiya Bhagavatidas, and 1882 marathi text of
Bhattaraka Devendrakirti of
Karanja.
Nainagiri Jain Tirtha Complex
Naingiri Tirthkshetra includes a temple complex on the hill, two temples besides a lake, temples in the valley and a nearby siddha-shila.
The main temple complex is situated on a low hill, with 36 Jain Temples on hill and 15 in valley. The Jala-Mandir temple is in the middle of a pond, with a
manastambha in the front. There is also a
Samosharana Mandir on the other side of the pond. All the Jain temples on hill are surrounded by a wall.
The oldest temple, termed
Bara Mandir, which is the eleventh temple, was unearthed a few centuries ago. According to an inscription of the temple, the year of completion was V.S. 1109 (1053 AD). The principal deity of this temple is Lord
Parsvanatha
''Parshvanatha'' (), also known as ''Parshva'' () and ''Parasnath'', was the 23rd of 24 ''Tirthankaras'' (supreme preacher of dharma) of Jainism. He is the only Tirthankara who gained the title of ''Kalīkālkalpataru ( Kalpavriksha in this "Ka ...
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 ...
4 feet 7 inches high. This was installed in V.S. 2015 (1959 AD). A beautiful and artistic Gomeda Yaksha and Yakshini
Ambika
Ambika may refer to:
Mythology
* Ambika (goddess), an avatar of the Hindu goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Shakti
* Ambika (Jainism), a Jain Yakshini goddess
* Ambika (Mahabharata), the wife of Vichitravirya was also the mother of Dhritarashtra, ...
idol is also present here, with the Yakshini with a child in her lap.
The
Parshvanath temple (Chauvisi Mandir) is the largest temple with a 16 foot tall idol of Lord Parshvanath of 1953 AD, along with images of the 24 tirthankaras and the images of the five munis who attained moksha here.
The picturesque Jal Mandir of Nainagiri was featured on the 2002
JAINA
JAINA is an acronym for the Federation of Jain Associations in North America, an umbrella organizations to preserve, practice, and promote Jainism in USA and Canada. It was founded in 1981 and formalized in 1983. Among Jain organization it is ...
calendar. Recently a tall manastambha was erected in front of it. The grand circular samosharana mandir features paintings of famous tirthas.
Near the temple complex, there is a large rock in river Bevas termed siddha shila. It is said that on this rock Vardatta etc. minis attained nirvana. There is also an ancient altar about a mile from the tirtha. The rock has many prehistorical
petroglyphs
A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...
.
An old dharmashala building built by Shobharam Malaiya now houses an extensive library called "Acharya Devanandi D. J. Svadhyaya avam Shodha Sansthan". It also houses rare handwritten manuscripts. There are facilities for scholars to stay.
Nearby Singhai Satishchandra Keshardevi Higher Secondary School provides education to the local children.
Recent History
A number of temples have images installed in VS 1943-1948 (1886-1892 AD). This was the time when Nainagiri emerged a major tirtha. In VS 1943 (AD 1886) a large pratishtha function with three separate
gajarath chariots was organized, where one lakh (100,000) Jains are said to have attended.
In 1833 AD, Bhattaraka Surendrakirti of Gwalior had visited the tirtha while travelling to
Shravanabelgola. He arrived from Dronagir and then proceeded to
Kundalpur
Kundalpur is a town located in Damoh district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Located northeast of the city of Damoh, Kundalpur is a pilgrimage site for Jains.
Location
Nearby cities include Damoh , Sagar , and Jabalpur . The near ...
.
The tirth was often visited by Kshullaka
Ganeshprasad Varni. In 1919, a convention was organized that inaugurate the Bharatvarshiya Golapurva Digambar Jain Sabha under his leadership.
Acharya Vidyasagar visited the tirtha, a spot where he took ''ahara'' (food offered by shravakas) and recovered from a serious ailment in 1978, is marked and is revered by the pilgrims. He stayed here during his
chaturmas in 1978, 1981 and 1982, and also visited it at other times. He had given diksha to 72 munis and
aryika
''Aryika'', also known as ''Sadhvi'', is a female mendicant (nun) in Jainism.
History
In the traditional Digambara tradition, a male human being is considered closest to the apex with the potential to achieve liberation, particularly throu ...
s here.
Acharyas Vishuddha Sagar and Vibhava Sagar have also been present on special events.
Baba Daulatram Varni had established a pathshala here in 1902, which was among the earliest in the
Bundelkhand region. He wrote several books here including a bhasha (translation/commentary) of
Gommatsar Jivakanda in 1904. The manuscript was reported as having been lost by
Ganeshprasad Varni, however recently Suresh Jain has located the manuscripts and is being published.
[baba Daultram Varni nainagiri dvara virachit Gommatsar Jivakanda ke Padyanuvad par Samikshatmak Vimarsha, Suresh Jain, Acharya Shri Devanandi Svadhyaya evam Shodha Sansthan, 2015] A memorial marking his samadhi in 1908 is present just outside the compound.
Famous Jain scholar Dr. Darbari Lal Kothia was born here.
Facilities
There are three
dharmashalas with the overall capacity of 1000. There is a bhojanalaya. There are facilities for visiting monks and scholars and a research library.
Location
The place is located in tehsil
Buxwaha
Buxwaha is a Tehsil and a nagar panchayat in Chhatarpur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India.
Demographics
India census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members ...
, District –
Chhatarpur,
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 ...
. It is 13 km from Dalpatpur located on the Sagar-Kanpur National Highway 86.Nearest Bus Stand Dalpatpur 13 km, Buxwaha 25 km. Nearest Railway Station
Sagar 58 km.
Gallery
File:NainagiriCompound.jpg, Nainagiri temple compound
File:NainagiriSamosharana.jpg, Nainagiri Samosharana temple
See also
*
Tirtha
*
Jainism in Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand, a region in central India, has been an ancient center of Jainism. It covers northern part of Madhya Pradesh and southern western part of Uttar Pradesh.
Bundelkhand was known as Dasharna or Jaijakabhukti in ancient times. The Betw ...
*
Aharji
Aharji is a historical pilgrimage site for Jainism in India. It is located in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, on the road from Tikamgarh to Chhatarpur. This place is famous for Jain Temple.
Aharji Jain Teerth
Aharji is a place full ...
References
External links
*
नैनागिरी में होगा तीन दिवसीय भव्य आयोजन
{{Jainism Topics
History of Madhya Pradesh
Tikamgarh
Jain temples in Madhya Pradesh
11th-century Jain temples
Chhatarpur district