Parshvanath Jain temples, Varanasi is a group of three
Jain temples
A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
located in
Bhelupur, Uttar Pradesh.
History
According to
Jain literature
Jain literature () refers to the literature of the Jain religion. It is a vast and ancient literary tradition, which was initially transmitted orally. The oldest surviving material is contained in the canonical ''Jain Agamas'', which are wri ...
, Varanasi was ruled by King Aśvasena, the father of
Parshvanatha, in 9th century. Varanasi is as one of the holiest Jain pilgrimage centres and believed to be birthplace of four
Tirthankar — Parshvanatha,
Suparshvanatha
Suparshvanatha ( ), also known as Suparśva, was the seventh Jain '' Tīrthankara'' of the present age ('' avasarpini''). He was born to King Pratistha and Queen ''Prithvi'' at Varanasi on 12 Jestha Shukla in the Ikshvaku clan. He is said to ...
,
Chandraprabha
Chandraprabha () or Chandranatha is the eighth Tirthankara of of Jainism in the present age (). According to traditional accounts, he was born to King Mahasena and Queen Lakshmana Devi at Chandrapuri to the Ikshvaku dynasty. According to Jain ...
and
Shreyansanath. This is considered as one of the holiest pilgrimage places.
is believed to be birthplace of Parshvanath, the 23rd
Thirthankara, hence, a place for three kalyanak - Chyavan, Janma, and Deeksha.
Mahavira
Mahavira (Devanagari: महावीर, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: वर्धमान, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his lif ...
also delivered sermons at Varanasi and
Sarnath
Sarnath (also known as Deer Park, ''Sarangnath'', ''Isipatana Deer Park'', ''Rishipattana'', ''Migadaya'', or ''Mrigadava'')Gabe Hiemstra, "Buddha Chronicle 24: Kassapa Buddhavaṃsa". ''Wisdom Library'', 14 September 2019. is a town nort ...
.
Vividha Tirtha Kalpa, composed by Jinaprabha Suri in the 14th century CE, gives a detailed description of this temple.
Description
The temple has a black-coloured
digambar
''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvetāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing n ...
idol of Parshvanatha dating back to 9th-11th century and a white
Śvetāmbara
The Śvetāmbara (; also spelled Shwetambara, Shvetambara, Svetambara or Swetambara) is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the Digambara. ''Śvetāmbara'' in Sanskrit means "white-clad", and refers to its ascetics' practi ...
idol of Parshvanatha. It is in Bhelapur about 5 km from the center of Varanasi city and 3 km from the
Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, ...
. It belongs to both sects of
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...
and is a
tirtha or pilgrimage centre for Jains.
File:Bhelupur Jain temple (5).jpg, Parshvanath Digambar idol
File:Bhelupur Jain temple (2).jpg, Parshvanath Digambar temple
File:Bhelupur Parshvanath-Padmavati temple.jpg, Parshvanath-Padmavati temple
File:Bhelupur Parshvanath-Padmavati temple (4).jpg, Main vedi inside Parshvanath-Padmavati temple
See also
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Chandrawati Jain temple
Chandrawati Jain temple is a Jain located in the Chandrawati village located from Varanasi. This place is believed to be birthplace of Chandraprabha, the 8th Thirthankara, of Jainism.
History
According to local tradition, the establishment ...
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Sarnath Jain Tirth
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Hastinapur
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{Jainism topics
Jain temples in Uttar Pradesh
Religion in Varanasi
Buildings and structures in Varanasi
Tourist attractions in Varanasi district