The Shantinath Jain Teerth, also known as Shri 1008 Shantinath Digambar Jain Mandir, is a

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 ...

temple located in

Indapur Indapur is a town and a municipal council in Pune district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Indapur is known for Jahagir of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's father and grandfather. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's grandfather Malojiraje died in ba ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

. The design and architecture of the temple is patterned after that of South Indian temples. The temple is known for its 27-foot tall granite idol of Shri 1008

Munisuvrata Munisuvrata () was the twentieth ''tirthankara'' of the present half time cycle (''avasarpini'') in Jain cosmology. He became a siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of his karma. Events of the Jaina version of Ramayana are placed ...

, the twentieth

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 number 1008 is significant in

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 ...

and is associated with the Tirthankaras. The temple is sometimes called the Golden Temple because of its golden facade.

The Temple

Shikhar of Shri 1008 Shantinath Digambar Jain Mandir

Architecture

The architecture draws inspiration from South Indian temples, and the temple has a 31 foot high tower, known as the ''Shikhar'', modeled after the ''Shikhar'' of

Mel Sithamur Jain Math Jina Kanchi Jain Math, Melsithamur, is a Jain Matha that is located near Gingee, Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the primary religious center of the Tamil Jain community. It is headed by the primary religious head of this communit ...

. It is quadrangular in shape, constructed using

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

and the facade is painted golden by artists from

Mamallapuram Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram, is a town in Chengalpattu district in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, best known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram. It is o ...

. The tower houses an idol of

Mahavira Mahavira (Sanskrit: महावीर) also known as Vardhaman, was the 24th ''tirthankara'' (supreme preacher) of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6t ...

made of

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

Altar

Idols are placed on a ''Vedi'', equivalent to

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

, in Jain temples. The main ''Vedi'' in Shantinath Jain Teerth has an arch with carvings of Jain gods on it and a rectangular base made of white marble. The idol of

Shantinatha Shantinatha was the sixteenth Jain tirthankar of the present age (Avasarpini). Shantinatha was born to King Vishvasena and Queen Aiira at Hastinapur in the Ikshvaku dynasty. His birth date is the thirteenth day of the Jyest Krishna month of the ...

on the Vedi is flanked by a

Yaksha The yakshas ( sa, यक्ष ; pi, yakkha, i=yes) are a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in ...

and a

Yakshini ''Yakshinis'' or ''yakshis'' (यक्षिणी sa, yakṣiṇī or ''yakṣī''; pi, yakkhiṇī or ''yakkhī'') are a class of female nature spirits in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious mythologies that are different from devas and ...

. The base has carvings of lions and elephants, ''

Ashtamangala The Ashtamangala is a sacred suite of ''Eight Auspicious Signs'' endemic to a number of religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. The symbols or "symbolic attributes" () are yidam and teaching tools. Not only do these attributes (or e ...

'' and ''Ashta Pratiharya'' (the eight symbols of the Tirthankara), and the sixteen auspicious dreams of Shantinatha's mother. The carvings are painted in various colours. Three more Vedis exist in the Shantinath Jain Teerth for other idols: * Manibhadra Kshetrapal Maharaj: A ''Yaksha''. * Padmavati Devi : A Yakshini * Saraswati Devi: The goddess of Knowledge. The idols bears Jinvani, a Jain book, in its hand. The idol includes a lotus and a peacock, symbols often associated with the goddess.

Jain idols

made of white marble. *

Vasupujya Vasupujya was the twelfth tirthankara in Jainism of the '' avasarpini'' (present age). According to Jain beliefs, he became a siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. Vasupujya was born to King Vasupujya and Queen Jaya De ...

made of red stone. p.31 *

Parshvanatha ''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 "Kal ...

made of white marble. *

made of brass and copper. *

made of granite.

Column of Honour

The ''

Manastambha A manastambha (Sanskrit for 'column of honour') is a pillar that is often constructed in front of Jain temples or large Jain statues. In North India, they are topped by four Tirthankara images. According to the ''Digambara'' Jain texts like ''A ...

'' or column of honour is 31 feet high and made of Albeta marble from Makrana. The column symbolizes humility in Jain philosophy. Its imposing presence is meant to vanquish the arrogance of devotees.

Munisuvrata

was the 20th

, regarded as the god of Shani Graha or the planet Saturn. The 27 feet tall idol of Munisuvrata in Shantinath Jain Teerth is made of granite stone like in

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 ...

. It weighs 30 tons and is erected on a base 20 feet wide. It is the main attraction of the temple. The stone was brought from the outskirts of

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

and sculpted by artists from

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...

. The sculpting was completed in two years. The Jain community in Indapur organizes an annual Rathotsava and

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 the Munisuvrata idol.

Location

city is in the

district in

, India. It is 135 km from

, 110 km from

Solapur Solapur () is a city located in the south-western region of the Indian state of Maharashtra, close to its border with Karnataka. Solapur is located on major highway, rail routes between Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, with a branch line ...

, 60 km from

Pandharpur Pandharpur (Pronunciation: əɳɖʱəɾpuːɾ is a well known pilgrimage town, on the banks of Candrabhagā River, near Solapur city in Solapur District, Maharashtra, India. Its administrative area is one of eleven tehsils in the District, ...

, 300 km from

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, and 1400 km from

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

Transport

* Road: National Highway 9

. * Railway: Nearest railway stations are

Daund Daund is a city, municipal council and headquarters of the Daund tehsil in the Pune district in the state of Maharashtra, India. In ancient times a sage, 'Dhaumya Rishi' used to stay here, hence people started calling this place after him: 'Dha ...

60 km,

Kurduvadi Postal information Pin Code: 413208 Kurduvadi is big town in Solapur district in Maharashtra state of India. It is situated on Barshi Light Railway It is known mainly for the railway junction connecting two different rail tracks. Prior ...

90 km,

135 km . * Airport: Nearest airports are

135 km,

300 km.

Religious organizations

The

Dakshin Bharat Jain Sabha Dakshin Bharat Jain Sabha (DBJS), also known as the South Indian Jain Association, is a religious and social service organization of the Jains in India. The organization is headquartered at Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India. The association is credi ...

is a religious and social service organization of the

s of South India. The organization is headquartered at

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is kn ...

, Maharashtra, India. The association is credited with being one of the first Jain associations to start reform movements among the Jains in modern India. The organization mainly seeks to represent the interests of the native Jains of Maharashtra (

Marathi Jains Jainism has been present in Maharashtra since ancient times. The famous Ellora Caves demonstrate that Jainism was part of a thriving religious culture in Maharashtra in premodern times. History Jainism in Maharashtra has a long history. Th ...

), Karnataka (

Kannada Jains Karnataka, a state in South India has a long association with Jainism, a religion which enjoyed patronage of major historic kingdoms in the state such as the Rastrakuta Dynasty, Western Ganga, Kadamba and Chalukya dynasties and the Hoysala ...

) and Goa.

Photo gallery

Statue_turn_by_crains.JPG, Idol being lifted by cranes Statue_lifting_by_crains.JPG, The lifting of the Idol Statue_getting_fixed_at_its_position.JPG, Idol being moved into position

Mahamastakabhishek 2012

Mahamastakabhishek 01.jpg, Mahamastakabhishek by Milk Mahamastakabhishek 02.jpg, Mahamastakabhishek by

Kumkum Kumkuma is a powder used for social and religious markings in India. It is made from turmeric or any other local materials. The turmeric is dried and powdered with a bit of slaked lime, which turns the rich yellow powder into a red color. In Indi ...

Mahamastakabhishek 03.jpg, Mahamastakabhishek by

Haldi Haldi may refer to: * Ḫaldi, an Urartian god * ''Haldi'', Hindi/Punjabi/Bengali/Urdu/Gujarati name for the spice turmeric * Haldi, Estonia, village in Estonia * Haldi, Baltistan, a village in Pakistan * Haldi River Haldi River is a tributary o ...

Mahamastakabhishek 04.jpg, Mahamastakabhishek by

Notes and references

{{Authority control Jain temples in Maharashtra 21st-century Jain temples Colossal Jain statues in India Buildings and structures in Maharashtra mr:इंदापूर तालुका