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 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 Dhanba ...

in 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 ...

. The Parasnath Hill or

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 ...

, located nearby, with a height of is the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand.

Etymology

The word Parasnath comes from 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 ...

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 ...

Parshva ''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 ...

. Jains refer to the Parasnath Hill as

, and it is one of the two most prominent

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 ...

pilgrimage centers, the other being

Shetrunjaya Shatrunjaya or Shetrunjaya ("place of victory against inner enemies") originally Pundarikgiri), are hills located by the city of Palitana, in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India. They are situated on the banks of the Shetrunji River at an elevati ...

, in

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

. According to Jain belief, twenty of the twenty-four

s (teachers of the Jains) attained

Moksha ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriologic ...

(Nirvana) from Shikharji.

History

The Grand Chord was opened in 1906.

Electrification

The Gomoh–Koderma sector was electrified in 1961–62.

Shikharji

It is a holy place to visit with innumerable temples, shrines and meditation halls in the midst of natural scenery and wildlife. There are two recognized routes to Parasnath Hill. The summit of Parasnath Hill can be reached either from the southern or the northern side. The southern approach is from Isri Bazaar or , to the top. It is motorable for about , the rest being a climb of . The northern approach is a route from Madhuban on the Dumri-Giridih road. Madhuban is about from

Giridih Giridih is headquarters of the Giridih district of Jharkhand state, India. The city of Giridih is known for its industrial and health sectors, as well as its scenic beauty. Giridih houses the Giridih Coalfield which is one of the oldest coalfie ...

and about from Parasnath rail station/ Isri Bazaar/ Dumri, all on

Grand Trunk Road The Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sarak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sarak, and Long Walk) is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. ...

( NH 2). Buses ply along this route from Dumri to Giridih and stop at Madhuban village. Hired cars or taxis are available at Isri Bazar, just outside the rail station. There are a number of Jain temples at Madhuban. There is a metalled trek route of to the summit, a major part of which is motorable. Both the Shwetambaras and

Digambar ''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being '' Śvētāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing ...

as have established Dharamshalas or Ashrams here to accommodate the pilgrims to this the first most holy place for travelers from all over the world. The main hill belongs to the Digambara.

Further extension

There are plans from the Railway ministry to connect Parasnath station with via Madhuban, for the convenience of the

pilgrims visiting

. The foundation for the construction of new Parasnath–New Giridih rail line was laid in 2019. The 47-km long railway line would incur a cost of Rs 972 crore on its construction and will have two crossing stations and a couple of halts. The cost of the project would be borne by the central and the state government in 50:50 ratio and a target has been set to complete the project by 2023.

References

External links

Trains passing through Parasnath Station
* {{North Chotanagpur Division topics Railway stations in Giridih district Dhanbad railway division Railway stations opened in 1907