Parasnath is a mountain peak in the Parasnath Range. It is located towards the eastern end of the

Chota Nagpur Plateau The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the ...

in the

Giridih district Giridih district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Giridih is the administrative headquarters of this district. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Jharkhand (out of 24), after Ranchi and D ...

of the Indian state of

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . I ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. The hill is named after Lord Parshvanatha, the 23rd

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 pass ...

Geography

Highest point in Jharkhand

At 1365 m Parasnath is the highest mountain peak in the state of Jharkhand, and is ''theoretically'' intervisible (by direct line of sight on a perfectly clear day) with Mount Everest over 450 km to the north. It is easily accessible from

Parasnath railway station Parasnath railway station, station code PNME, is on the Asansol–Gaya section of the Grand Chord and serves the town of Isri in Giridih district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. The Parasnath Hill or Shikharji, located nearby, with a heig ...

Jain Heritage

This is one of the most holy and revered sites for the

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 ...

community. They call it Sammed Sikhar. It is a major pilgrimage site. Out of 24

Tirthankaras 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 pas ...

of Jains, 20 got nirvana on Parshvnatha Hills. On the mountain, there are the

Shikharji Shri Sammet Shikharji () is a pilgrimage site in Giridih district, Jharkhand, India. It is located on Parasnath hill, the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. It is the most important Jain Tirtha (pilgrimage site) by both Digambara and ...

Jain temple A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings gen ...

s, an important tirthakshetra or Jain pilgrimage site. For each Tirthankara there is a shrine (gumti or Tonk) on the hill. The Jaina temple is believed to be constructed by Magadha King Bimbisara. Cunningham noted stone structures in the village, which he describes as a remnant of a Buddhist stupa datable to 2nd Century BCE. Although the site was noted by Cunningham, no excavation held till date.

References

Mountains of Jharkhand Highest points of Indian states and union territories Giridih district {{Jharkhand-geo-stub

Geography

Highest point in Jharkhand

Jain Heritage

See also

References