Shikharji (), also known as Sammet or Sammed Shikharji, is one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for
Jains
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an 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 spiritual ideas and ...
, 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 Dhanbad ...
,
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, 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 ...
. It is located on
Parasnath
Parasnath Hill (also Sammet Shikhar, Marang Buru) is a mountain peak in the Parasnath hill range. It is located towards the eastern end of the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the Giridih district (Hazaribagh district in British India) of the India ...
hill, the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. It is the most important
Jain Tirtha (pilgrimage site), for it is the place where twenty of the twenty-four Jain
tirthankara
In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...
s (supreme preachers of Dharma) along with many other monks attained
Moksha
''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...
. It is one of the seven principal pilgrimage destinations along with
Girnar
Girnar is an ancient hill in Junagadh, Gujarat, India. It is one of the holiest pilgrimages of Jains, where the 22nd Tirthankara, Tirthaṅkar, Lord Neminath attained omniscience, and later nirvana at its highest peak (''Neminath Shikhar''), ...
,
Pawapuri
Pawapuri, or Pavapuri (also called Apapapuri, meaning "the sinless town"), is a holy site for Jainism, Jains located in the Nalanda district of Bihar state in East India, eastern India. It is located about 19 kilometres from Rajgir and 101 kilo ...
,
Champapuri,
Dilwara
The Dilwara Temples or Delvada Temples are a group of Śvētāmbara Jain temples located about kilometres from the Mount Abu settlement in Sirohi District, Rajasthan's only hill station. The earliest were built by Vimal Shah , a Jain minis ...
,
Palitana
Palitana is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is one of the most significant pilgrimage destinations for followers of Jainism, renowned for the Shatrunjaya hill temples, a sprawling complex of over 900 marble t ...
and
Ashtapad Kailash.
Etymology
''Shikharji'' means the "venerable peak". The site is also called Sammed Śikhar "peak of concentration" because it is a place where twenty of twenty-four
Tirthankara
In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...
s attained Moksha through meditation. The word "Parasnath" is derived from
Lord Parshvanatha, the twenty-third Jain Tirthankara, who was one of those who attained
Moksha
''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...
at the site in 772 BCE.
Geography
Shikarji is located in an inland part of rural east India. It lies on NH-2, the Delhi-Kolkata highway in a section called the Grand Trunk road Shikharji rises to making it the highest mountain in
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, 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 ...
state.
Jain tradition

Shikharji is the place where twenty of the twenty-four Jain
tirthankara
In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...
s including Parshvanatha along with many other monks attained
Moksha
''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...
. This pilgrimage site is considered the most important
Jain Tirtha by both
Digambara
''Digambara'' (; "sky-clad") is one of the two major Jain schools and branches, schools of Jainism, the other being ''Śvetāmbara'' (white-clad). The Sanskrit word ''Digambara'' means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic pract ...
and
Śvētāmbara. Shikharji along with
Ashtapad,
Girnar
Girnar is an ancient hill in Junagadh, Gujarat, India. It is one of the holiest pilgrimages of Jains, where the 22nd Tirthankara, Tirthaṅkar, Lord Neminath attained omniscience, and later nirvana at its highest peak (''Neminath Shikhar''), ...
,
Dilwara Temples
The Dilwara Temples or Delvada Temples are a group of Śvētāmbara Jain temples located about kilometres from the Mount Abu settlement in Sirohi District, Rajasthan's only hill station. The earliest were built by Vimal Shah , a Jain mini ...
of
Mount Abu
Mount Abu (), known as Arbudgiri in Jain tradition, is a hill station in the Aravalli Range in the Sirohi district of the state of Rajasthan in western India. Here, the mountain forms a rocky plateau 22 km long by 9 km wide. It is ref ...
and
Shatrunjaya
Shatrunjaya, also spelled Shetrunjaya ("place of victory against inner enemies") and originally known as Pundarikgiri, is a range of hills located near the city of Palitana in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, India. The hills are situated on ...
are known as Śvētāmbara ''Pancha Tirth'' (five principal pilgrimage shrine).
History
Archaeological evidences indicate the presence of Jains going back to at least 1500 BCE. The earliest literary reference to Shikharji as a tirth (place of pilgrimage) is found in the ''
Jñātṛdhārmakātha'', one of the twelve core texts of Jainism compiled in 6th century BCE by chief disciple of
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 ...
. Shikharji is also mentioned in the ''Pārśvanāthacarita'', a twelfth-century biography of Pārśva. A 13th century CE palm-leaf manuscript of ''
Kalpa Sūtra
The ''Kalpa Sūtra'' () is a Jain text containing the biographies of the Jain Tirthankaras, notably Parshvanatha and Mahavira. Traditionally ascribed to Bhadrabahu, which would place it in the 4th century BCE, it was probably put in writing ...
'' and ''Kalakacaryakatha'' has an image of a scene of Parshavanatha's
nirvana
Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
at Shikharji.
Modern history records show that Shikharji Hill is regarded as the place of worship of the Jain community.
Vastupala
Vastupāla (died 1240 CE) was a prime minister of the Vaghela dynasty, Vāghelā king Vīradhavala and his successor Vīsaladeva, who ruled in what is now the Gujarat region of India, in the early 13th century. Although he served in an administra ...
, prime minister during the reign of king Vīradhavala and
Vīsaladeva of
Vaghela dynasty
The Vaghela dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Gujarat in India in the 13th century CE, with their capital at Dholka. They were the last Hindu dynasty to rule Gujarat before the Muslim conquest of the region.
Early members of the Vaghela fami ...
, constructed a Jain temple housing 20
idols of Tirthankaras. The temple also housed images of his ancestors and
Samavasarana
In Jainism, Samavasarana or Samosharana ("Refuge to All") is the divine preaching hall of the Tirthankara, stated to have more than 20,000 stairs in it. The word ''samavasarana'' is derived from two words, ''sama'', meaning general and ''avasar ...
. During the regime of
Mughal
Mughal or Moghul may refer to:
Related to the Mughal Empire
* Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries
* Mughal dynasty
* Mughal emperors
* Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia
* Mughal architecture
* Mug ...
's rule in India,
Emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
Akbar
Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...
in the year 1583 had passed an
firman
A firman (; ), at the constitutional level, was a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in an Islamic state. During various periods such firmans were collected and applied as traditional bodies of law. The English word ''firman'' co ...
(official order) granting the management of Shikharji Hill to the Jain community under the leadership of Harivijaya Suri to prevent the
slaughter of animals in the vicinity. Seth Hiranand Mukim, personal jeweller of Mughal Emperor
Jahangir
Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim (31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was List of emperors of the Mughal Empire, Emperor of Hindustan from 1605 until his death in 1627, and the fourth Mughal emperors, Mughal ...
, lead a party from Agra to Shikharji for Jain pilgrimage. In 1670, a Jain merchant from Agra named Kumarpal Lodha financed construction of temples at the site. In 1725, the area came under the control of the
Jagat Seth family of
Murshidabad
Murshidabad (), is a town in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. This town is the headquarters of Lalbag subdivision of Murshidabad district. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly river, Bhagirathi Riv ...
. In 1825, Jagat Seth Kushalchand spent a substantial amount of money in consecrating the exact sites of liberation of all 20 tirthankaras, a Jal mandir,
dharamsalas & shrines to subsidiary deities at the site, under the guidance of
Tapa Gaccha
Tapa Gaccha is the largest Gaccha (monastic order) of Śvetāmbara Jainism. More than half of the existing Jain ascetics belong to the Tapa Gaccha. Several successful Sanskrit scholars belonged to Tapa Gaccha, including Hiravijaya, Meghavijaya, ...
monk Devijayji, with divine intervention from the Jain
Padmāvatī
Padmāvatī is the protective goddess or śāsana devī (शासनदेवी) of Parshvanatha, Pārśvanātha, the twenty-third Jain tirthankara, tīrthāṅkara, complimenting Parshwa yaksha in Swetambara and Dharanendra in digambar the ...
. After the Jagat Seth family died out in 1912, the area came under the local zamindar based in Palganj of
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 scenery. Giridih houses the Giridih Coalfield which is one of the oldest coalfields to ...
. In 1918, Seth
Badridas Mukhim of the influential Johari Seth
Jain community of Kolkata & Bahadur Singh Dugar of Murshidabad purchased the site from the zamindar on behalf of the
Anandji Kalyanji trust
Anandji Kalyanji Trust (Gujarati શેઠ આનંદજી કલ્યાણજી પેઢી) is the largest and the oldest Jain trust, managed by lay Jains, with headquarters at Ahmedabad which manages more than 1200 Jain temples. The ...
& renovated the structures built by the Jagat Seths. The site went further renovations in the 1980s.
In 2019, the
Government of Delhi
The Government of Delhi, officially the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD; ISO: ) is the governing body of India's National Capital Territory of Delhi, whose urban area is the seat of the Government of India. It also ...
included Sammed Shikharji under Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana.
Approach

The pilgrimage of Shikharji starts with a ''Palganj'' on
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 scenery. Giridih houses the Giridih Coalfield which is one of the oldest coalfields to ...
road. Palganj has a small shrine dedicated to Parshvanatha. Then, offerings are made to temples at
Madhuban
Madhuban is a small area of Jorhat City and is under Jorhat municipality Board, Assam, India. The only road that passes through Madhubon is the Madhuban Path. It connects two important roads of Jorhat; Malow Ali and Choladhara road. Madhuban is ...
on the base of Parasnath hill. Madhuban has many
dharamshala
Dharamshala (, ; also spelled Dharamsala) is a town in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It serves as the winter capital of the state and the administrative headquarters of the Kangra district since 1855. The town also hosts the Tibeta ...
s and
bhojnalayas for pilgrims.
The section from Gandharva Nala stream to the summit is the most sacred to Jains. The pilgrimage is made on foot or by a
litter
Litter consists of waste products that have been discarded incorrectly, without consent, at an unsuitable location. The waste is objects, often man-made, such as aluminum cans, paper cups, food wrappers, cardboard boxes or plastic bottles, but ...
or ''doli'' carried by a ''doliwallah'' along a concrete paved track. A trek of is covered while performing
Parikrama
Parikrama or Pradakshina is clockwise circumambulation of sacred entities, and the path along which this is performed, as practiced in the Indian religions, Indic religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. In Buddhism, it refers only ...
of Shikharji. However, the complete parikrama of Madhuban to Shikharji and back is .
Temples

Shikharji is considered as the most important pilgrimage centre by both the Digambara and Śvētāmbara sects of Jainism and the jurisdiction of the main temples is shared by both sects.
The current structure of temples at Shikharji was re-built by Jagat Seth Mahtabchand (father of the Kushalchand mentioned before) in 1768 CE. However, the idol itself is very old. The Sanskrit inscription at the foot of the image is dated 1678 CE. One of the shrines dates back to the 14th century. Several Śvētāmbara temples were constructed in 20th century. Pilgrims offer rice, sandal,
dhupa
''Dhupa'' (धुप) is, in Indian religions (such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, etc.), the ritual offering of incense during puja to an image of a deity, or other object of veneration. It is also the Sanskrit word for incense or perfume its ...
, flower, fruits and
diya
Diya may refer to:
* ''Diya (film)'', 2018 Indian Tamil- and Telugu-language film
* Diya (Islam), Islamic term for monetary compensation for bodily harm or property damage
* Diya (lamp), ghee- or oil-based candle often used in South Asian religious ...
.
At the base of Shikharji is a temple to Bhomiyaji (Taleti). On the walls of the
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 ge ...
at the village of Madhuban, there is a mural painting depicting all the temples on Parasnath Hill. Śvētāmbara Bhaktamara temple, established by Acharya
Ramchandrasuri, is the first temple to house a
Bhaktamara Stotra yantra
Yantra (; 'machine'/'contraption') is a geometrical diagram, mainly from the Tantric traditions of the Indian religions. Yantras are used for the worship of deities in temples or at home; as an aid in meditation; and for the benefits believe ...
.
A large Digambara Jain temple depicting ''Nandishwar Dweep'' is at the base of the hill. The ''Nichli temple'', built by a Calcutta merchant in 18th century, is noteworthy for its architecture. The temple features arched gateways and carvings of Tirthankaras on the temple wall.
Tonks
There are 31 tonks each enshrines footprints, in black or white marble, of each Tirthankara. Since, these temple does not have images these tonks are worshipped by both Digambara and Śvētāmbara.
; Parshvanatha tonk
The hilltop where Parshvanatha attained moksha is called 'suvarṇabhadra kūța' and is considered the most sacred hilltop on Shikharji. The Parshvanatha tonk is constructed at this summit. The
chatra distinguishes Parshvanatha footprint from footprints of other 23 Tirthankaras which does not have chatra and are indistinguishable. The temple consists of two floors. The top floor has a tonk with no footprints of Parshvanatha, and lower floor enshrines a saffron coloured replica of the face of Parasnath built into a wall. Devotees make offerings of uncooked rice and sweets here.
The tonks along the track are as follows:
#
Gautam Ganadhara Swami
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Kunthunatha
#
Rishabhanatha
Rishabhanatha (Devanagari: ऋषभनाथ), also Rishabhadeva (Devanagari: ऋषभदेव, ), Rishabha (Devanagari: ऋषभ, ) or Ikshvaku (Devanagari: इक्ष्वाकु, ''Ikṣvāku''), is the first (Supreme preacher) ...
#
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 ...
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Naminatha
Naminatha (Devanagari: नमिनाथ) (Sanskrit: नमिनाथः) was the twenty-first ''tirthankara'' of the present half time cycle, Avsarpini. He was born to the King Vijaya and Queen Vipra of the Ikshvaku dynasty. King Vijaya w ...
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Aranatha
Aranath''(Arnath)'' was the eighteenth Jain Tirthankar of the present half cycle of time ( Avasarpini). He was also the eighth Chakravartin and thirteenth Kamadeva. According to Jain beliefs, he was born around 16,585,000 BCE. He became a sid ...
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Māllīnātha
Mallinatha (Prakrit ''Mallinātha'', Devanagari: मल्लिनाथ, Sanskrit: मल्लिनाथः, 'Lord of jasmine or seat') was the 19th Tirthankara, tīrthaṅkara "ford-maker" of the Jain cosmology#Time cycle, present ''avasa ...
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Shreyanasanatha
Shreyansanath was the eleventh Jain Tirthankara of the present age (Avasarpini). According to Jain beliefs, he became a Siddha – a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. Shreyansanatha was born to King ''Vishnu'' and Queen ''V ...
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Pushpadanta
In Jainism, Pushpadanta (), also known as Suvidhinatha, was the ninth Tirthankara of the present age ('' Avasarpini''). According to Jain belief, he became a siddha and an arihant, a liberated soul that has destroyed all of its karma.
Biogra ...
#
Padmaprabha
Padmaprabha, also known as Padmaprabhu, was the sixth Jain Tirthankara of the present age ('' Avsarpini''). According to Jain beliefs, he became a siddha – a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma.
In the Jain tradition, it is ...
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Munisuvrata
Munisuvrata or Munisuvratanatha (IAST: ) (Devanagari: मुनिसुव्रतनाथ) (Sanskrit: मुनिसुव्रतः) was the twentieth ''Tirthankara'' of the present half time cycle (''avasarpini'') in Jain cosmology. He ...
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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 ...
# Rishabha
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Anantanatha
Anantanatha was the fourteenth Tirthankara of the present age (Avasarpini) of Jainism. According to Jain beliefs, he became a siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma.
Biography
Anantanatha was the fourteenth Tirthankara ...
#
Shitalanatha
Shitalanatha was the tenth tirthankara of the present age according to Jainism. According to Jain beliefs, he became a siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. Jains believe Shitalanatha was born to King Dradhrath and Quee ...
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Sambhavanatha
Sambhavanatha was the third Jain ''tirthankara'' (omniscient teaching god) of the present age ( Avasarpini). Sambhavanatha was born to King ''Jitari'' and Queen ''Susena'' at Shravasti. His birth date was the fourteenth day of the Margshrsha ...
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Vasupujya
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Abhinandananatha
Abhinandananatha or Abhinandana Swami was the fourth ''Tirthankara'' of the present age ( Avasarpini). He is said to have lived for 50 lakh ''purva''. He was born to King Sanvara and Queen Siddhartha at Ayodhya in the Ikshvaku clan. His birth d ...
# Ganadhara
# Jal Mandir
#
Dharmanatha
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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 ...
# Varishen
#
Sumatinatha
Sumatinatha was the fifth Jain Tirthankara of the present age ( Avasarpini). Sumatinatha was born to a Kshatriya King Megha (Megharatha) and Queen Mangalavati (Sumangalavati) at Ayodhya in the Ikshvaku dynasty. His Janma Kalyanak (birthday) w ...
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Shantinatha
Śāntinātha () or Śānti is the sixteenth of Jainism in the present age (). According to traditional accounts, he was born to King Vishvasena and Queen Aćira of the Ikshvaku dynasty in the north Indian city of Hastinapur. His birth date i ...
# Mahavira
#
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 ...
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Vimalanatha
Vimalanatha was the thirteenth Jain Tirthankara of the present age (Avasarpini). According to Jain beliefs, he became a Siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma. Vimalanatha was born to King Kratavarma and Queen Shyamadev ...
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Ajitanatha
Ajitanatha (lit. invincible) was the second ''tirthankara'' of the present age, ''avasarpini'' (half time cycle) according to Jainism. He was born to king Jitashatru and Queen Vijaya at Ayodhya in the Ikshvaku dynasty. He was a liberated soul ...
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Neminatha
Neminātha (Devanagari: नेमिनाथ) (Sanskrit: नेमिनाथः), also known as Nemi and Ariṣṭanemi (Devanagari: अरिष्टनेमि), is the twenty-second tirthankara of Jainism in the present age (). Nemina ...
# Parshvanatha
Fair
Sammed Shikhar festival is annual fair organised here that draws a huge number of devotees.
Replicas
The representation of Sammeta-Shikharji is a popular theme in Jain shrines.
On 13 August 2012, the world's first to-scale complete replication of Shikharji was opened in
Siddhachalam in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
over 120 acres of hilly terrain called ''Shikharji at Siddhachalam'', it has become an important place of pilgrimage for the Jain diaspora. There is a small scale replica of Shikharji at
Dādābadī, Mehrauli.
Ranakpur Jain temple
Ranakpur Jain temple or Chaturmukha Dharana Vihara is a Śvētāmbara Jain temple at Ranakpur dedicated to ''Tirthankara'' Rishabhanatha. The temple is located in the village of Ranakpur near Sadri in the Pali district of Rajasthan. It is a ...
has a depiction of Shikharji. Shitalnath temple in
Patan, Gujarat
Patan () is the administrative seat of Patan district in the Indian state of Gujarat and is an administered municipality. It was the capital of Gujarat's Chavda dynasty, Chavda and Chaulukya dynasties in medieval times and is also known as An ...
has a wooden plaque with carving of Shikharji.
Transport
The nearest railway station is
Parasnath Station which is situated in
Isri Bazar, Dumri, Jharkhand. It is around 25 km from
Madhuban
Madhuban is a small area of Jorhat City and is under Jorhat municipality Board, Assam, India. The only road that passes through Madhubon is the Madhuban Path. It connects two important roads of Jorhat; Malow Ali and Choladhara road. Madhuban is ...
, at the base of Shikharji. Parasnath station is situated on
Grand Chord
Grand Chord is part of the Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line and Howrah–Prayagraj–Mumbai line. It acts as a link between Sitarampur railway station, Sitarampur, (Asansol) (West Bengal) and Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction (Uttar Pradesh), previous ...
, which is part of
Howrah-Gaya-Delhi line and
Howrah-Allahabad-Mumbai line. Many long-distance trains halt at Parasnath Station. Daily connectivities to Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Ajmer, Kolkata, Patna, Allahabad, Kanpur, Jammutawi, Amritsar, Kalka etc. are available. Even 12301-12302
Howrah Rajdhani Express
Howrah (; ; alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River, opposite to its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively Howrah lies within Howrah district and ...
via
Gaya Junction
Gaya Junction railway station is a junction station serving the city of Gaya, the headquarters of Gaya district and Magadh Division in the Indian state of Bihar. Gaya is in the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya railway division of the East Centra ...
has a halt on Parasnath station which run 6 days a week.
By Airway;
The Nearest airport is
Deoghar Airport
Deoghar Airport is a domestic airport serving Deoghar in the state of Jharkhand, India. It is situated approximately 12 kilometres (7.4 mi) from the city centre. The airport has been primarily developed to serve the region of North-Easter ...
in Deoghar Dist, known as Baidyanath dham which is famous for Hindu pilgrimage sites, part of 12 jyotirling for Lord Shiva. The airport is 107 km away from Shikharji and a 3-hour drive.
Another airport is
Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport
Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport , (), also known as Durgapur Airport, is a domestic airport mainly serving the cities of Durgapur and Asansol in India. It is located in the Andal region of Durgapur in the state of West Bengal. It is named after the r ...
, Durgapur (RDP) West Bengal and a 4-hour drive from the airport. Durgapur has direct flights from Kolkata and Delhi.
Birsa Munda Airport
Birsa Munda Airport is a domestic airport serving Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand, India. It is named after the famous Indian tribal freedom fighter, Birsa Munda, and is currently managed by the Airports Authority of India. The airport ...
, Ranchi (IXR), Jharkhand is also around 180 km (Approximately 4.5 hours), and the drive to Shikhar Ji is quite smooth. Direct flights are available from Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Deoghar, Goa–Mopa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mumbai, Patna and Pune.
Shikharji movement
Save Shikharji was a protest movement by
Jain sects
Jainism is an Indian religion which is traditionally believed to be propagated by twenty-four spiritual teachers known as ''tirthankara''. Broadly, Jainism is divided into two major school of thought, schools of thought, Digambara and Śvetāmb ...
against the state's alleged development plans for Shikharji. Jains opposed the plans of the state government to improve the infrastructure on the site of the hill in order to boost tourism as alleged attempts to commercialize the Shikharji hill. The movement demanded that Shikharji Hill be declared officially a place of worship by the
Government of Jharkhand
The Government of Jharkhand also known as the State Government of Jharkhand, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Jharkhand and its Districts of Jharkhand, 24 districts. It consists of an exec ...
. On 26 October 2018, the Government of Jharkhand issued an official memorandum declaring the Shikharji hill as a 'place of worship'.
In December 2022, Jains carried out massive protests and a one-day nationwide strike against the rule by the Government of Jharkhand to tag Shikharji as a place of tourism. Jharkhand government's decision to declare 'sacred' Shri Sammed Shikharji a tourist place and incidents of allegedly desecrating the sacred
Shetrunjaya Hills in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district have triggered anger among lakhs of people belonging to the Jain community. A 72-year-old Jain monk who was on a fast against the Jharkhand government's decision died Tuesday in Jaipur, according to a community leader. Police said after participating in a peace march in Jaipur against the decision, Sugyeysagar Maharaj sat on the fast at Sanghiji temple in Sanganer area of the city.
In January 2023, the Central government halted all tourism development activities on Parasnath Hills.
Gallery
File:Shikharji Jain temple.jpg, Jal Mandir
File:Pushpadanta idol, Shikharji.jpg, Pushpadanta idol inside Pushpadanta Jinalaya
File:Gautam Labdhi Vihar, Madhuban.jpg, Gautam Swami Temple at Madhuban
File:Mahavir Tonk, Shikharji.jpg, Mahavir Tonk
See also
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List of Jain temples
Jain temples and ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'' (pilgrimage sites) are present throughout the Indian subcontinent, many of which were built several hundred years ago. Many of these temples are classified according to Jain s ...
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Tirth Pat
''Tirth Pat'' or ''Patta'' is a religious map and topographical rendering used in Śvētāmbara Jainism religion for representing places of pilgrimage ( Tirtha). Tirth Pat is different than the conventional map making and is not drawn to scale. ...
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Nirvana Kanda
Nirvana Kanda is an ancient Prakrit Jain composition that describes the sacred sites where Jain sages have attained Nirvana. It is also termed Nirvana Bhakti.
In inscription of 13th century that describes the construction of the Kirti Stamb ...
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{{Damodar Valley
Jain temples in Jharkhand
Religious buildings and structures in Jharkhand
Tourist attractions in Jharkhand
Cities and towns in Giridih district
Holy cities
Religion in Jharkhand
Jain pilgrimage sites
Mountains in Jainism